Viktor Bout

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Виктор Анатольевич Бут
Viktor Anatolyevich Bout
Born 13 January 1967 (1967-01-13) (age 45)
Dushanbe, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union
Other names Victor Bout, Boris, Vadim Markovich Aminov, Viktor Bulakin
Known for Convicted of terrorism in relation to arms trafficking

Viktor Anatolyevich Bout (Russian: Виктор Анатольевич Бут) (born 13 January 1967, near Dushanbe, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union) is a convicted arms smuggler.[1] A citizen of Russia, he was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and was extradited in 2010 to the United States to stand trial on terrorism charges after being accused of smuggling arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to use against US forces.[2][3][4] On November 2, 2011, he was convicted by a jury in a federal court in Manhattan of conspiracy to kill US citizens and officials, deliver anti-aircraft missiles and provide aid to a terrorist organisation.[1][5]

A former Soviet military translator,[6] Bout had reportedly made a significant amount of money through his multiple air transport companies[7] shipping cargo mostly in Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s and early 2000s (decade).[8] Just as willing to work for Charles Taylor in Liberia as he was for the United Nations in Sudan and the United States in Iraq,[7][9] Bout may have facilitated huge arms shipments into various civil wars in Africa with his private air cargo fleets during the 1990s.[10]

While claiming to have done little more than provide logistics, he has been called a "sanctions buster"[7] by former British Foreign Office minister Peter Hain who described Bout as "the principal conduit for planes and supply routes that take arms... from east Europe, principally Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine, to Liberia and Angola".[11]

In cooperation with American authorities,[9] Royal Thai Police arrested Bout in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2008.[12] The United States demanded his extradition, which was eventually mandated by the Thai High Court in August 2010.[4] Before his extradition to the United States in November 2010, he expressed confidence that this US trial would eventually lead to his acquittal.[13][14] This did not occur.[15] As of January, 2011, Bout is currently incarcerated in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York City.[16]

Contents

[edit] Personal history

UN documents and Bout himself both state his birthplace as Dushanbe, USSR, (now the capital of Tajikistan)[17][18][19][20] possibly on 13 January 1967.[17][20][21] But a few other birthplaces have been suggested;[18][22] a 2001 South African intelligence file listed him as Ukrainian in origin.[23][24]

[edit] Soviet military service

There is confusion regarding Bout's military career although it is clear that he served in the Soviet Armed Forces. Having graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages,[20][25][26] he is said to be fluent in six languages.[27] Bout's personal website states that he served in the Soviet Army as a translator, holding the rank of Lieutenant.[6]

He is thought to have been discharged in 1991 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.[21] But other sources state he rose to the rank of Major in the GRU[7] (an arm of the Soviet military that combines intelligence services and special forces[7]), that he was an officer in the Soviet Air Forces,[9] that he graduated from a Soviet military intelligence training program,[21] or that he was a KGB operative.[17]

Bout was involved with a Soviet military operation in Angola in the late 1980s.[20][25][28] He has said he was in Angola for only a few weeks.[17] Bout's website states that he began an air freight business in Africa around the time of the collapse of the USSR.[19]

[edit] 1990s

Bout's nickname, "Sanctions Buster", is due to his implication in facilitating the violation of UN arms embargoes in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo during the 1990s.[29]

As well as some more-controversial customers such as Charles G. Taylor, his air freight companies have provided service to the French government,[17] the UN[24][30] and the US.[24][30][31] Bout has reportedly shipped flowers,[26] frozen chicken,[7][26] UN peacekeepers,[26] French soldiers and African heads of state.[17]

[edit] Afghanistan

Bout says he has been to Afghanistan many times in the mid-1990s,[18][32] but he denies any dealings with al Qaeda or the Taliban.[33] He may have sold planes to the Taliban, however.[34] Some say he also delivered them arms.[35]

Starting in 1994[33] Bout made shipments for the pre-Taliban government, which later became the Northern Alliance, and he knew Ahmed Shah Massoud, an Afghan Northern Alliance commander.[17] The CIA has described Bout-owned planes as transporters of small arms and ammunition into Afghanistan.[28]

In 1995 he was involved in the negotiations to free Russian hostages during the 1995 Airstan incident.[36]

[edit] Africa

A 2000 United Nations report stated that, "...Bulgarian arms manufacturing companies had exported large quantities of different types of weapons between 1996 and 1998 on the basis of (forged[20]) end-user certificates from Togo",[37] and that "...with only one exception, the company Air Cess, owned by Victor Bout, was the main transporter of these weapons from Burgas airport in Bulgaria".[37] This was the first time Bout was mentioned in connection with arms trading,[38] and the weapons may have been destined for use by União Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA),[37] one faction in Angola's 1975–2002 civil war.

Another suspected arms dealer, Imad Kebir, is said to have employed Bout's aircraft during the mid-1990s to transport weapons to Africa from Eastern European states.[39] The cargo supposedly had Zairean end user certificates, but the true end-user was UNITA.[39] From 1993, UNITA was under a United Nations Security Council embargo prohibiting the importation of arms, established in Resolution 864.[40]

[edit] Sierra Leone

Bout is suspected of supplying Charles Taylor with arms for use in the Sierra Leone Civil War. Eyewitnesses describe personal meetings between the two.[41]

[edit] UAE

In 1993 Bout began collaborating with Syrian-born Richard Chichakli[42] and in 1995 Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates hired Chichakli to be the commercial manager of its new free trade zone, which saw use from Bout.[42] Chichakli was, at one time, called Bout's "financial manager" by the US.[43]

[edit] 2000s

After the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, Bout appeared in Moscow and stated that while his aircraft made regular flights to the country he had never made contact with al Qaeda or the Taliban--instead supplying the rebel Northern Alliance.[44]

[edit] Afghanistan

Soon after the beginning of the 2001–present war in Afghanistan, al Qaeda is said to have moved gold and cash out of the country; reports state that some of the planes used to do this were linked to Bout.[39]

In July 2003 the New York Times succeeded to interview Bout. Bout stated that "I woke up after Sept. 11 and found I was second only to Osama.... My clients, the governments... I keep my mouth shut." He pointed to his forehead and said “If I told you everything I’d get the red hole right here". When the journalist asked about Russian intelligence services, Bout replied "Until now you’ve been digging in a big lake with small spoons. There are huge forces..." and then stayed quiet.[45]

[edit] Congo

Bout is suspected of supplying weapons to numerous armed groups in the early 2000s (decade) Second Congo War and may have employed an estimated 300 people and operated 40-60 aircraft to do so.[22]

[edit] Kenya

Bout's network allegedly delivered surface-to-air missiles that were used to attack an Israeli airliner during takeoff in Kenya in 2002.[46]

[edit] Lebanon

Bout was reportedly seen meeting with Hezbollah officials in Lebanon during the run-up to the 2006 Lebanon War. Some state he was actually in Russia when the meeting took place.[47] Israel later found out that Hezbollah had Russian-made RPG-29 Vampir and 9K129 Kornet anti-tank weaponry.[48][49] Bout reportedly worked with an arms dealer named Imad Kabir during this time.[50]

[edit] Libya

Records found in Muammar Gaddafi's former intelligence headquarters in Tripoli, shortly after the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime in 2011, indicated that in late September 2003, British intelligence officials told then-Libyan intelligence chief Musa Kusa that Bout had a "considerable commercial presence in Libya" and aimed to expand his interests there.[51]

[edit] Places of residence

Bout has lived in a number of countries, including Belgium,[52] Lebanon,[47] Rwanda,[22] Russia,[52] South Africa,[53] Syria[31] and the United Arab Emirates.[31]

[edit] Alleged Russian government and intelligence ties

It is thought that Bout was of help to Russia's intelligence agencies,[4] and he is alleged to have connections to ranking Russian officials, including Igor Sechin.[54] The language institute Bout attended has been linked to the GRU, one such agency.[22][52][55] Bout is thought to have worked alongside GRU-affiliated, and current Russian deputy prime minister, Igor Sechin in Africa in the 1980s,[26][56] although both men deny this allegation.[26] And according to a 2002 United Nations report, Bout's father-in-law Zuiguin "at one point held a high position in the KGB, perhaps even as high as a deputy chairman".[22]

[edit] Orders and warrants regarding Bout

Bout's strategy of constantly moving location, owning numerous companies, and frequently re-registering aircraft[7][37] made it hard for authorities to make a case against him. He has never been charged for the alleged African arms deals to which he owes his notoriety.[57]

[edit] Interpol

The Belgians requested that Interpol issue a notice for Bout on charges of money laundering, and in 2002 an Interpol red notice on Bout was issued.[30]

Bout's website states that because he failed to appear in court a Belgian warrant (not the Interpol notice) for his arrest was issued but later cancelled.[6] The site has a document in Dutch to support the claim that the Belgian case against him was dismissed due to his lack of a fixed residence and because the case could not be prosecuted in a timely fashion.[58]

The day of his Bangkok arrest, an Interpol red notice was requested by the United States against Bout. The alleged crime was conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.[12] His wanted poster can be viewed here.

[edit] Executive Order 13348

Bout's US assets were among those frozen in July 2004 under Executive Order 13348. The Order describes him as a "businessman, dealer and transporter of weapons and minerals" and cites his close association with Charles Taylor.[59]

[edit] CAR trial

Charged in 2000 with forging documents in the Central African Republic, Bout was convicted in absentia and the charges were later dropped.[25]

[edit] Thai arrest and extradition

Bout was arrested in Thailand on an Interpol red notice and on 16 November 2010, Bout was extradited amid protests by the Russian Government.[4]

[edit] Arrest

Royal Thai Police arrested Bout in Bangkok on 6 March 2008[12] the culmination of a sting operation set up by Drug Enforcement Administration agents.[9] Bout allegedly offered to supply weapons to people he thought were representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels.[7][9]

[edit] Extradition hearing

After months of delay, the Criminal Court in Bangkok began an extradition hearing for Bout on 22 September 2008.[60]

In February 2009, members of the United States Congress signed a letter to Attorney General Holder and Secretary of State (i.e. Foreign Secretary) Clinton, expressing their wish that the Bout extradition "remain a top priority".[61]

On 11 August 2009, the Criminal Court ruled in his favor, denying the United States' request for extradition and citing the political, not criminal, nature of the case.[62] The United States appealed that judgement, and on 20 August 2010 a higher Thai court ruled that Bout could, in fact, be extradited to the United States.[63][64][65]

[edit] Extradition

Viktor Bout in the custody of DEA agents on November 16, 2010 after being extradited to the United States

On 16 November 2010 at 1:30pm, Bout was extradited to the United States;[2] the Russian government called the extradition illegal.[66][67]

[edit] Russia's protests and other actions

Russia did not want Bout to face trial and called the Thai court decision in 2010 politically motivated.[68][69] Its Foreign Ministry took steps to prevent his extradition to the US;[26] Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Bout was innocent.[26]

On 18 November 2010, shortly after Bout's extradition to the US, Russian President Medvedev's aide Sergei Eduardovich Prikhodko claimed that Russia had "nothing to hide" in Bout's criminal case stating, "it is in our interest that the investigation... be brought to completion, and [Bout] should answer all the questions the American justice system has."[70][71]

[edit] Prosecution and conviction in the United States

The day after his Bangkok arrest, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Bout with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization,[72] conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to kill American officers or employees, and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.[60]

Additional charges against him were filed in February 2010.[73] These include illegal purchase of aircraft, wire fraud, and money laundering.[3]

Bout was convicted by a jury at a court in Manhattan on November 2, 2011.[1]

[edit] In the media

The 2005 film Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage, is thought to be based, in part, on stories of his alleged gun-running.[7][26][74]

In 2007 Stephen Braun and Douglas Farah published a book about Bout entitled Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible.[75]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "Russian Viktor Bout convicted over Colombian arms deal". The Associated Press. November 2, 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/02/viktour-bout-convicted-arms-deal. Retrieved November 2, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Viktor Bout Extradited to the United States to Stand Trial on Terrorism Charges United States Department of Justice release, November 17, 2010.
  3. ^ a b U.S. ANNOUNCES NEW INDICTMENT AGAINST INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER VIKTOR BOUT AND AMERICAN CO-CONSPIRATOR FOR MONEY LAUNDERING, WIRE FRAUD, AND CONSPIRACY US Indictment released Feb 17, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d Appeal Court verdict on the extradition of Bout The Nation, Sept 1, 2010.
  5. ^ Viktor Bout guilty of Colombian rebel arms deal BBC, 2 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Victor Bout's Personal Website, FAQ
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Flying Anything to Anybody The Economist, Dec 18th 2008
  8. ^ Бут, Виктор
  9. ^ a b c d e Revealed: trap that lured the merchant of death 'The Observer', Sunday 9 March 2008
  10. ^ 'Lord of war' arms trafficker arrested, The Guardian, 7 March 2008.
  11. ^ BBC Profile, Viktor Bout
  12. ^ a b c INTERPOL media release, 07 March 2008
  13. ^ "Arms Suspect Vows to Win Case in U.S. After Extradition Order" nytimes.com, 21 August 2010
  14. ^ Россия хочет заполучить "оружейного барона" Бута, которого отправляют на суд в США NEWSru, 20 August 2010.
  15. ^ Profile: Viktor Bout BBC News, 2 Nov. 2011
  16. ^ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=91641-054&x=88&y=11. Retrieved January 22, 2011. 
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Arms and the Man New York Times, Aug. 17, 2003
  18. ^ a b c Meeting Viktor Bout, the ‘Merchant of Death’ BBC Channel 4 Snowblog, 16/03/09
  19. ^ a b Victor Bout's Personal Website
  20. ^ a b c d e Addendum to the final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on Sanctions against UNITA S/2001/363
  21. ^ a b c Trapping the Lord of War, The Rise and Fall of Viktor Bout Part 2: Secretive about His Past. spiegel.de, 10/06/2010
  22. ^ a b c d e "The deadly convenience of Victor Bout". ETH Zurich. 2008-06-24. http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Current-Affairs/Security-Watch/Detail/?id=88499&lng=en. 
  23. ^ Foreign Policy: The Merchant of Death
  24. ^ a b c Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun: "The Merchant of Death"
  25. ^ a b c Who is Victor Bout? The Christian Science Monitor's Global News Blog, Elizabeth Ryan | 10.22.09
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trapping the Lord of War, The Rise and Fall of Viktor Bout Part 1. spiegel.de, 10/06/2010
  27. ^ Viktor Bout arrested The Economist, March 13, 2008
  28. ^ a b Farah, Douglas; Braun, Stephen (2007). Merchant of death: money, guns, planes, and the man who makes war possible (2007 ed.). John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-04866-5.  - Total pages: 308
  29. ^ Stop Ruthless Arms Brokers that Fuel Deadly Conflicts Amnesty International USA
  30. ^ a b c "Meet Viktor Bout, the Real-Life 'Lord of War'" MotherJones, 13 September 2007
  31. ^ a b c [1] ETH Zurich. 2008-06-24.
  32. ^ "Viktor Bout: five passports, half a dozen languages and alleged friend to all sides"
  33. ^ a b Transcript of American Morning with Paula Zahn Aired March 4, 2002 - 04:13 ET
  34. ^ On the Trail of a Man Behind Taliban's Air Fleet. The Los Angeles Times. 19 May 2002
  35. ^ "Russian mafia selling arms to Taliban". The Washington Times. 11 November 2001. 
  36. ^ Pg60-65Farah, Douglas; Braun, Stephen (2007). Merchant of death: money, guns, planes, and the man who makes war possible (2007 ed.). John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-04866-5.  - Total pages: 308
  37. ^ a b c d Copy of the text of S/2000/1225 Final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions, UN Security Council, 21 Dec 2000
  38. ^ Trapping the Lord of War, The Rise and Fall of Viktor Bout Part 3: The Respected 'Mister Vik'. spiegel.de, 10/06/2010
  39. ^ a b c For A Few Dollars More Global Witness, April 2003
  40. ^ UN Security Council Resolution 864, 1993
  41. ^ Merchant of death: money, guns, planes, and the man who makes war possible. Douglas Farah, Stephen Braun. p. 164
  42. ^ a b Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible (2007), pp. 53-56
  43. ^ Viktor Bout – elusive entrepreneur. Financial Times. 6 March 2008
  44. ^ Wines, Michael (2002-03-01). "A NATION CHALLENGED: A SUSPECT; Russian Goes on the Air To Deny Al Qaeda Ties". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/01/world/a-nation-challenged-a-suspect-russian-goes-on-the-air-to-deny-al-qaeda-ties.html. 
  45. ^ "Arms and the Man". The New York Times. August 7, 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/17/magazine/17BOUT.html. 
  46. ^ Moi Son’s Link to Arms Dealer in UN Ban. Africa News. November 23, 2004.
  47. ^ a b Trapping the Lord of War, The Rise and Fall of Viktor Bout Part 4: Hired to Supply US Forces in Iraq. spiegel.de, 10/06/2010
  48. ^ Prothero, Mitchell (2008-03-09). "Revealed: trap that lured the merchant of death". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/09/armstrade.internationalcrime. 
  49. ^ Part II: The deadly convenience of Victor Bout Zurich. 2008-06-24.
  50. ^ "Dangerous liaisons: covert love affair" between Russia and Hezbollah". Axis Globe. 30 May 2005. http://opiniicetatenesti.com/article.php?story=20090825173501823&mode=print. 
  51. ^ Khadafy records tie Russian arms dealer to Libya, U.S. experts hunt for anti-aircraft missiles Associated Press, 5 Nov 2011.
  52. ^ a b c "Taking Down Arms Dealer Viktor Bout". http://www.mensjournal.com/viktor-bout/2. 
  53. ^ André Verlöy. "The Merchant of Death". http://projects.publicintegrity.org/bow/report.aspx?aid=157. 
  54. ^ Matthews, Owen (2 September 2010). "What Is the Kremlin Hiding?". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/02/viktor-bout-s-secrets-frighten-the-kremlin.html. Retrieved 30 November 2010. 
  55. ^ Farah, Douglas; Braun, Stephen (2007). Merchant of death: money, guns, planes, and the man who makes war possible (2007 ed.). John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-04866-5. 
  56. ^ Sidorov, Dmitry (2008-08-15). "Nothing To Worry A Bout?". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/15/victor-bout-kremlin-opinions-contributors-dmitry-sidorov.html. "According to a report by Stratfor, an American analytic outfit, Bout served with Igor Sechin in Mozambique in the 1980s." 
  57. ^ Arms suspect faces charges in US BBC, Friday, 7 March 2008, 13:36 GMT
  58. ^ A Legal Document in Dutch Victor Bout's Personal Website
  59. ^ United States Executive Order 13348 Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the Importation of Certain Goods from Liberia, July 27, 2004
  60. ^ a b Russian 'arms dealer' trial opens BBC, Monday, 22 September 2008, 09:20 GMT
  61. ^ A letter to Secretary of State Mrs. Clinton regarding Bout extradition Victor Bout's Personal Website
  62. ^ "Thailand rejects Bout extradition". BBC News. 11 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8194824.stm. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 
  63. ^ Hookway, James (August 21, 2010). "Thailand Says It Will Extradite Russia's 'Merchant of Death'". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476104575440553348497506.html. 
  64. ^ Pomfret, John (August 20, 2010). "Suspected Russian arms dealer Bout to be extradited to U.S., Thai court rules". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/20/AR2010082000452.html. 
  65. ^ "Russia and US go to war over 'Merchant of Death': Fury in Moscow after Washington wins battle to put suspected arms dealer Viktor Bout on trial". Independent (London). August 21, 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/russia-and-us-go-to-war-over-merchant-of-death-2058066.html. 
  66. ^ "Extradition of 'arms dealer' Viktor Bout goes ahead". BBC News. November 16, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11763221. 
  67. ^ "Thailand extradites accused international arms dealer". CNN. November 16, 2010. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/16/thailand.extradition/?hpt=Sbin. 
  68. ^ "PM defends Bout court decision - Russia summons Thai ambassador"
  69. ^ "Russia condemns Thai decision on Bouts extradition"
  70. ^ Dyomkin, Denis (November 18, 2010). "Russia says 'nothing to hide' in arms suspect case". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AH2SC20101118. Retrieved November 29, 2010. 
  71. ^ "Россия окончательно "сдала" Виктора Бута американцам: хочет полного следствия по всем обвинениям [Russia Has Definitively "Surrendered" Viktor Bout to the Americans and Wants Full Investigation of Charges]" (in Russian). NEWSru. 2010-11-18. http://newsru.com/russia/18nov2010/viktor.html. Retrieved 2010-11-29. 
  72. ^ International Arms Dealer Charged in U.S. with Conspiracy to Provide Surface-to-Air Missiles and other Weapons to a Foreign Terrorist Organization United States Department of Justice
  73. ^ US files new charges against arms dealer Viktor Bout cnn.com, 02/17/2010
  74. ^ Thailand holds 'top arms dealer' BBC, Thursday, 6 March 2008, 14:40 GMT
  75. ^ Merchant of Death - book's official website ISBN 978-0-470-04866-5

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