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'''Viktor Anatolyevich Bout''' ({{lang-ru|Виктор Анатольевич Бут}}) (born 13 January 1967 near [[Dushanbe]], [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic|Tajik SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]) established a myriad of air cargo companies, and is famous for being a suspected [[arms dealer]].
'''Viktor Anatolyevich Bout''' ({{lang-ru|Виктор Анатольевич Бут}}) (born 13 January 1967 near [[Dushanbe]], [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic|Tajik SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]) established a myriad of air cargo companies, and is famous for being a suspected [[arms dealer]].


⚫
A former [[Soviet]] military translator <ref name="Bout FAQ">[http://www.victorbout.com/FAQ.htm- Victor Bout's Personal Webiste, FAQ]</ref><ref name="Economist"/> Bout made a significant amount of money through his many air transport companies,<ref name="Economist"></ref> shipping cargo mostly in Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s and early 2000s. While claiming to have done little more than provide logistics, he has been called a "sanctions buster" and a "merchant of death." <ref name="Economist"></ref>
⚫
Just as willing to ship cargo for [[Charles Taylor (Liberia)|Charles Taylor]] in [[Liberia]] as he was for the UN in Somalia, and the US in Iraq, <ref name="Economist"/> Bout is thought to have facilitated huge arms shipments into various [[civil war]]s in [[Africa]] with his private air cargo fleets during the 1990s.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/07/thailand.russia 'Lord of war' arms trafficker arrested], The Guardian, March 7, 2008.</ref>


⚫
Just as willing to ship cargo for [[Charles Taylor (Liberia)|Charles Taylor]] in [[Liberia]] as he was for the [[UN]] in [[Somalia]], and the [[US]] in [[Iraq]], <ref name="Economist"/> Bout may have facilitated huge arms shipments into various [[civil war]]s in [[Africa]] with his private air cargo fleets during the 1990s.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/07/thailand.russia 'Lord of war' arms trafficker arrested], The Guardian, March 7, 2008.</ref>
⚫
Nicknamed the "Merchant of Death", <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6991487.stm 'Merchant of Death' still on the run] BBC News Africa </ref> he is the subject of an eponymous book by [[Douglas Farah]] and [[Stephen Braun]].<ref name="MODbooksite">[http://www.merchantofdeathbook.com/ Merchant of Death] - book's official website ISBN 978-0470048665</ref> According to [[Lee S. Wolosky]], he was "the most powerful player in the trafficking of illegal arms." <ref name="Anderson"/>


⚫
Nicknamed the "Merchant of Death", <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6991487.stm 'Merchant of Death' still on the run] BBC News Africa </ref> he is the subject of an eponymous book by [[Douglas Farah]] and [[Stephen Braun]].<ref name="MODbooksite">[http://www.merchantofdeathbook.com/ Merchant of Death] - book's official website ISBN 978-0470048665</ref> former [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Foreign Office]] [[Minister (diplomacy)|minister]] [[Peter Hain]] called him "the principal conduit for planes and supply routes that take arms... from east Europe, principally Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine to Liberia and Angola." <ref name="BBC Profile">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7281885.stm BBC Profile, Viktor Bout]</ref>
Viktor Bout has always professed his innocence. He was interviewed by Peter Landesman for the ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]''<ref>[http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout00.htm Viktor Bout's File]</ref> and also appeared on Moscow radio station [[Echo of Moscow|Ekho Moskvy]], saying "I have never supplied anything to, or had contacts with the [[Taliban]] or [[Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]]."<ref name="GPC" />


Viktor Bout has always professed his innocence.
⚫
Bout was arrested in [[Bangkok, Thailand]] on March 6, 2008.

⚫
He was arrested in [[Bangkok, Thailand]] on March 6, 2008.


==History==
==History==
⚫
Viktor Bout is a former [[Soviet]] military major who retired from the service in 1993 and is thought to have become an arms dealer <ref name="Anderson">[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08850600601079958 The HUMINT Offensive from Putin's Chekist State] Anderson, Julie (2007), International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence, 20:2, 258 - 316. </ref>. Bout made a significant amount of money through his many air transport companies<ref name="Economist"></ref>, shipping cargo mostly in Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s. While claiming to have done little more than provide logistics, he has been called a "sanctions buster" and a "merchant of death." <ref name="Economist"></ref>


Little is known about Bout before his military career, other than that he was born in 1967. According to his official passport, he was born in [[Dushanbe]], [[Soviet Union|USSR]], which is now [[Tajikistan]]. However, Bout stated in a 2002 radio interview that he was born near what is now [[Ashgabat]], [[Turkmenistan]], and a 2001 South African intelligence file listed him as Ukrainian in origin<ref>[http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3600 Foreign Policy: The Merchant of Death]</ref><ref name="merchant">[http://www.douglasfarah.com/pdfs/bout.pdf Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun: "The Merchant of death"]</ref>. After military training, he worked at a Soviet military base in [[Vitebsk]] as a navigator. His duties expanded, eventually including the training of commando troops of the [[Soviet Air Force]].<ref = "KN">[http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout25.htm The criminal stories of the good soldier Bout] - Knack no. 20, 16 may 2001, by Dirk Draulans</ref> In 1991 Bout graduated from the prestigious Soviet Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow. He is said to be fluent in 6 languages, including [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]], [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. After this he became a translator for the Soviet Army in [[Angola]]. In the same year the military base he was serving at was dissolved due to the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]] and Bout and his colleagues found themselves highly trained, but without jobs. He then started the ''Transavia Export Cargo'' company, which aided [[Belgian]] soldiers in [[Somalia]] in 1993. Russian sources have claimed that, in return for a cut of the profits, Bout was staked three [[Antonov]]s (cargo planes) by the [[GRU]] of which he may well have been a member, given his association with the GRU school of foreign languages. Another of his early clients was the [[Islamic State of Afghanistan]] (later it was known by the name the [[Afghan Northern Alliance|Northern Alliance]]). Between 1992 and 1995, Bout made an alleged $50 million from supplying several Afghan groups.<ref name = "FL">[http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout9.htm PBS Frontline story on Sierra Leone] by Matthew Brunwasser</ref>
Little is known about Bout before his military career, other than that he was born in 1967. According to his official passport, he was born in [[Dushanbe]], [[Soviet Union|USSR]], which is now [[Tajikistan]]. However, Bout stated in a 2002 radio interview that he was born near what is now [[Ashgabat]], [[Turkmenistan]], and a 2001 South African intelligence file listed him as Ukrainian in origin<ref>[http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3600 Foreign Policy: The Merchant of Death]</ref><ref name="merchant">[http://www.douglasfarah.com/pdfs/bout.pdf Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun: "The Merchant of death"]</ref>. In 1991 Bout graduated from the prestigious Soviet Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow. He is said to be fluent in 6 languages, including [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]], [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].


After the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]], Bout began an airfreight business in Africa. <ref name="Bout">[http://www.victorbout.com/ Victor Bout's Personal Website]</ref>
In 1995 Bout established the Trans Aviation Network Group in the Belgian city of [[Oostende]]. One customer was the Islamic State of Afghanistan, but this relationship came to an end when the [[Taliban]] reduced its control to just a few northern provinces. Bout maintains he had no ties to the Taliban. <ref name="GPC"></ref> But British and Belgian intelligence estimate Bout's profits from dealings with the Taliban are in the tens of millions.<ref name="GPC"></ref><ref name="RL">[http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout10.htm - A merchant of death or a decent businessman?] from an article in Moscow Komsomolskaya Pravda 27 Feb 2002 pg.4</ref>


A 2000 United Nations report <ref name="UN1">[http://documents.un.org/mother.asp Main Page for S/2000/1225] - Final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions</ref> states that "...Bulgarian arms manufacturing companies had exported large quantities of different types of weapons between 1996 and 1998 on the basis of [[end user certificate|end-user certificates]] from Togo." 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."<ref name="UN1"/><ref name="UNcopy">[http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/202/41483.html Copy of the text of S/2000/1225]Final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions</ref>
Another company founded in 1995 by Bout was Air Cess, based in [[Equatorial Guinea]] and registered in [[Liberia]]. [[United States|US]] and [[United Nations|UN]] officials say that Bout smuggled thousands upon thousands of [[semi-automatic rifle]]s{{citation}}, [[grenade launcher]]s, other weapons and ammunition to for African conflicts in [[Angola]], [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Kenya]], [[Liberia]], [[Libya]], [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Rwanda]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[South Africa]], [[Sudan]], [[Swaziland]] and [[Uganda]].<ref name= "UN1">[http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout6.htm UN Report: Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions] - paragraphs 111 - 144, December 21, 2000</ref> Bout also established an Air Cess in [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]] in 1997. The company operated until September 2001, when it was dissolved. <ref name="GPC">[http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/wanted/2004/1021bout.htm Viktor Bout - From International Outlaw to Valued Partner]</ref>


⚫
As well as some of the more controversial customers such as [[Charles G. Taylor]], the UN and the US have also paid for his services.<ref name="merchant" /><ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=102765&title=douglas-farah Douglas Farah on The Daily Show]</ref><ref name="Mother"/>
During this period Bout lived in [[Belgium]], but 1997 newspaper reports prompted Belgian authorities to investigate him, and<ref name="OST">[http://www.ruudleeuw.com/ostend.htm Ostend Airport arms' connection] - from www.cleanostend.com, 24/03/2001</ref> he moved to [[Sharjah (city)|Sharjah]] in the [[United Arab Emirates]]. In the UAE Bout founded another company, and is alleged to have used [[Sharjah International Airport]] as well as airfields in the neighboring emirates of [[Ajman]] and [[Ras Al Khaimah]] as transshipment points for arms travelling to Africa and Afghanistan as late as 2002<ref>"Emirates Looked Other Way While Al Qaeda Funds Flowed," Los Angeles Times, January 20, 2002</ref>.


Nicknames, namely 'Sanctions Buster' and 'Merchant of Death', are by former [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Foreign Office]] [[Minister (diplomacy)|minister]] [[Peter Hain]]. <ref name="Economist"></ref>
⚫
Bout has essentially done business with anyone irrespective of ideology, often contracted on both sides of a war. As well as some of the more controversial customers such as the [[Taliban]] or [[Charles G. Taylor]], the UN and the US have also paid for his services.<ref name="merchant" /><ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=102765&title=douglas-farah Douglas Farah on The Daily Show]</ref>


⚫
==Interpol Warrant==
Nicknames, namely 'Sanctions Buster' and 'Merchant of Death', were by former [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Foreign Office]] [[Minister (diplomacy)|minister]], [[Peter Hain]]. <ref name="Economist"></ref> Upon reading the 2003 UN report on Bout's activities, Hain said: "Bout is the leading merchant of death who is the principal conduit for planes and supply routes that take arms, including heavy military equipment, from east Europe, principally Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine, to Liberia and Angola. The UN has exposed Bout as the center of a spider's web of shady arms dealers, diamond brokers, and other operatives, sustaining the wars."


⚫
Constantly moving location, having numerous companies, and frequent re-registering of aircraft,<ref name="Economist"/><ref name="UN1"/> made it hard for authorities to make a case against Bout. He has never been charged for the alleged African arms deals to which he owes his notoriety.
⚫
==Interpol Warrent==


⚫
The Belgians requested that Interpol issue a warrant for Bout on charges of money laundering, and in 2002 an Interpol Red Notice on Bout was issued requiring his arrest. <ref name="Mother">[http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/09/meet-viktor-bout-real-life-lord-war "Meet Viktor Bout, the Real-Life 'Lord of War'"] - MotherJones, September 13, 2007</ref> Bout denies the existence of this warrant.<ref name="Bout FAQ"/>
⚫
Constantly moving location, having numerous companies, and frequent re-registering his aircraft, of which he may have had 50 at his peak<ref name="Economist"/>, made it hard for authorities to build a case against Bout, and he has never been charged for his alleged African arms deals, to which he owes his notoriety.

⚫
The Belgians requested that Interpol issue a warrent for Bout, and in 2002 an Interpol Red Notice on Bout was issued requiring his arrest. The listed offense is money laundering. <ref name="Mother">[http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/09/meet-viktor-bout-real-life-lord-war "Meet Viktor Bout, the Real-Life 'Lord of War'"] - MotherJones, September 13, 2007</ref>


==Arrest==
==Arrest==
Viktor Bout was arrested in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]] on March 6th 2008, during a [[sting operation]] set up by US [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] agents in Thailand<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/09/armstrade.internationalcrime Revealed: trap that lured the merchant of death] ''The Observer''</ref>. Bout allegedly offered to supply weapons to what he thought were representatives of [[Colombia]]'s [[FARC]] [[Rebellion|rebels]].<ref name="Economist"></ref> Sources in [[Colombia]] and [[Spain]] claim that his arrest was made possible thanks to the information available from [[computer]]s seized during the [[military]] operation that ended with the death of [[Raul Reyes]] (see [[2008 Andean diplomatic crisis]]). <ref>[http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=12632 Noticias24 :: Actualidad » Cae el mayor traficante de armas del mundo, gracias a los datos del PC de Reyes]</ref>'
Viktor Bout was arrested in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]] on March 6th 2008, during a [[sting operation]] set up by US [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] agents<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/09/armstrade.internationalcrime Revealed: trap that lured the merchant of death] ''The Observer''</ref>. Bout allegedly offered to supply weapons to what he thought were representatives of [[Colombia]]'s [[FARC]] [[Rebellion|rebels]].<ref name="Economist"></ref>
Sources in [[Colombia]] and [[Spain]] claim that his arrest was made possible thanks to the information available from [[computer]]s seized during the [[military]] operation that ended with the death of [[Raul Reyes]] (see [[2008 Andean diplomatic crisis]]). <ref>[http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=12632 Noticias24 :: Actualidad » Cae el mayor traficante de armas del mundo, gracias a los datos del PC de Reyes]</ref>'


Further information about the [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] operation to trap Viktor Bout and his co-defendant [[Andrew Smulian]] can be found in this [http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/March/bout-complaint.pdf Formal complaint] and this [http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/viktor-bouts-last-deal MotherJones article].
Further information about the [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] operation to trap Viktor Bout and his co-defendant [[Andrew Smulian]] can be found in this [http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/March/bout-complaint.pdf Formal complaint] and this [http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/viktor-bouts-last-deal MotherJones article].
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==Extradition trial==
==Extradition trial==
On [[September 22]], 2008 A [[Bangkok]] Criminal Court began US [[extradition]] trials for Bout. The [[Russia]]n lower house of parliament, the [[State Duma]], has raised concerns: "Political motives, attempts to link this issue with the fight against international terrorism and thus damage the interests and reputation of Russia, are present in Bout's case. It is necessary to intensify efforts aimed at securing the rights of Russian citizen Viktor Bout, prevention of his illegal prosecution and return to his home country, as well as at curbing attempts to use this case against Russia."<ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iflf4Hl2sD9X5frF5lHhEW3cNyUQ afp.google.com, Alleged arms dealer Bout in Thai court for US extradition case]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/22/terrorism.thailand guardian.co.uk, Arms dealer Viktor Bout faces Thai court for extradition to US]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7628863.stm news.bbc.co.uk, Russian 'arms dealer' trial opens]</ref>
On [[September 22]], 2008 A [[Bangkok]] Criminal Court began US [[extradition]] trials for Bout. The [[Russia]]n lower house of parliament, the [[State Duma]], has raised concerns: "Political motives, attempts to link this issue with the fight against international terrorism and thus damage the interests and reputation of Russia, are present in Bout's case. It is necessary to intensify efforts aimed at securing the rights of Russian citizen Viktor Bout, prevention of his illegal prosecution and return to his home country, as well as at curbing attempts to use this case against Russia."<ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iflf4Hl2sD9X5frF5lHhEW3cNyUQ afp.google.com, Alleged arms dealer Bout in Thai court for US extradition case]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/22/terrorism.thailand guardian.co.uk, Arms dealer Viktor Bout faces Thai court for extradition to US]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7628863.stm news.bbc.co.uk, Russian 'arms dealer' trial opens]</ref>

Based on the fact Bout, as a child, learned to speak [[Esperanto]]<ref>[http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/viktor-bout-seigneur-de-guerres_756307.html?p=2 Viktor Bout, seigneur de guerres]</ref> and was a member of the Esperanto club of [[Dushanbe]] in the [[1980's]],<ref name="liberafolio">[http://www.liberafolio.org/2009/butesperanto "Komercisto de la morto" estas esperantisto]</ref> the Association of [[Esperantist]]s of [[Tadjikistan]] wrote a letter which they intended to send to Bout, inviting him to visit Tadjikistan and expressing the hope that "the truth shall dominate quickly, You [Bout] can be released and get back to your activity for the good of the society."<ref>[http://e-novosti.info/forumo/viewtopic.php?t=5381 Российский оружейный магнат, миллиардер говорит на эсперанто]</ref> This letter was never sent to Bout in fear it could cause trouble to him during the trial, however.<ref name="liberafolio"/>


==In the media==
==In the media==
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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''.<ref name="MODbooksite"/>
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''.<ref name="MODbooksite"/>

He is now to be the subject of a documentary film entitled WOLF: Merchant of Death? to be made by documentarian [[Jonathan P. Nolan]].


==References==
==References==
Line 67: Line 64:
==See also==
==See also==
* [[End user certificate]]
* [[End user certificate]]
* [[HUMINT]]


==External links==
==External links==
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* [http://www.iansa.org/issues/arms_brokers.htm Arms brokers] at the [[IANSA]] website
* [http://www.iansa.org/issues/arms_brokers.htm Arms brokers] at the [[IANSA]] website
* [http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/sierraleone/bout.html The Embargo Buster: Fueling Bloody Civil Wars]
* [http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/sierraleone/bout.html The Embargo Buster: Fueling Bloody Civil Wars]
* [http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3600 Foreign Policy: The Merchant of Death]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E0DB1031F934A2575BC0A9659C8B63&scp=1&sq=%22Peter+Landesman%22+bout&st=nyt Arms and the Man] - NYTimes Magazine Profile of Viktor Bout
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E0DB1031F934A2575BC0A9659C8B63&scp=1&sq=%22Peter+Landesman%22+bout&st=nyt Arms and the Man] - NYTimes Magazine Profile of Viktor Bout
* [http://feeds.wnyc.org/~r/wnyc_lopate/~3/46987262/09 The World's Most Notorious Arms Trafficker (Audio/32min)]: [[Leonard Lopate]] talks to the authors of The Merchant of Death on [[WNYC]]
* [http://feeds.wnyc.org/~r/wnyc_lopate/~3/46987262/09 The World's Most Notorious Arms Trafficker (Audio/32min)]: [[Leonard Lopate]] talks to the authors of The Merchant of Death on [[WNYC]]
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* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11870855 Interview with Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun about Victor Bout on the NPR program "Fresh Air]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11870855 Interview with Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun about Victor Bout on the NPR program "Fresh Air]
* [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=19114 "The deadly convenience of Victor Bout"] by [http://www.isn.ethz.ch ISN Zurich], see also [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=19115 part two of the story]
* [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=19114 "The deadly convenience of Victor Bout"] by [http://www.isn.ethz.ch ISN Zurich], see also [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=19115 part two of the story]

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7281885.stm BBC, Profile]
*[http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12795502 "Flying anything to anybody"] - an Economist article on Viktor Bout


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bout, Viktor}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bout, Viktor}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Arms traders]]
[[Category:Arms traders]]
[[Category:GRU officers|Bout, Victor]]
[[Category:Soviet military personnel|Bout, Victor]]
[[Category:Soviet military personnel|Bout, Victor]]
[[Category:Esperantists]]


[[da:Viktor Bout]]
[[da:Viktor Bout]]

Revision as of 15:13, 25 June 2009

Виктор Бут
Viktor Bout
Born (1967-01-13) 13 January 1967 (age 57)
Dushanbe, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union
Other names"Merchant of Death"
Viktor Bout
Known forIllegal arms trafficking

Viktor Anatolyevich Bout (Russian: Виктор Анатольевич Бут) (born 13 January 1967 near Dushanbe, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union) established a myriad of air cargo companies, and is famous for being a suspected arms dealer.

A former Soviet military translator [1][2] Bout made a significant amount of money through his many air transport companies,[2] shipping cargo mostly in Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s and early 2000s. While claiming to have done little more than provide logistics, he has been called a "sanctions buster" and a "merchant of death." [2]

Just as willing to ship cargo for Charles Taylor in Liberia as he was for the UN in Somalia, and the US in Iraq, [2] Bout may have facilitated huge arms shipments into various civil wars in Africa with his private air cargo fleets during the 1990s.[3]

Nicknamed the "Merchant of Death", [4] he is the subject of an eponymous book by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun.[5] former British Foreign Office minister Peter Hain called him "the principal conduit for planes and supply routes that take arms... from east Europe, principally Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine to Liberia and Angola." [6]

Viktor Bout has always professed his innocence.

He was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand on March 6, 2008.

History

Little is known about Bout before his military career, other than that he was born in 1967. According to his official passport, he was born in Dushanbe, USSR, which is now Tajikistan. However, Bout stated in a 2002 radio interview that he was born near what is now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and a 2001 South African intelligence file listed him as Ukrainian in origin[7][8]. In 1991 Bout graduated from the prestigious Soviet Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow. He is said to be fluent in 6 languages, including Russian, Uzbek, English, French and Portuguese.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bout began an airfreight business in Africa. [9]

A 2000 United Nations report [10] states that "...Bulgarian arms manufacturing companies had exported large quantities of different types of weapons between 1996 and 1998 on the basis of end-user certificates from Togo." 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."[10][11]

As well as some of the more controversial customers such as Charles G. Taylor, the UN and the US have also paid for his services.[8][12][13]

Nicknames, namely 'Sanctions Buster' and 'Merchant of Death', are by former British Foreign Office minister Peter Hain. [2]

Interpol Warrant

Constantly moving location, having numerous companies, and frequent re-registering of aircraft,[2][10] made it hard for authorities to make a case against Bout. He has never been charged for the alleged African arms deals to which he owes his notoriety.

The Belgians requested that Interpol issue a warrant for Bout on charges of money laundering, and in 2002 an Interpol Red Notice on Bout was issued requiring his arrest. [13] Bout denies the existence of this warrant.[1]

Arrest

Viktor Bout was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand on March 6th 2008, during a sting operation set up by US DEA agents[14]. Bout allegedly offered to supply weapons to what he thought were representatives of Colombia's FARC rebels.[2]

Sources in Colombia and Spain claim that his arrest was made possible thanks to the information available from computers seized during the military operation that ended with the death of Raul Reyes (see 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis). [15]'

Further information about the DEA operation to trap Viktor Bout and his co-defendant Andrew Smulian can be found in this Formal complaint and this MotherJones article.

Extradition trial

On September 22, 2008 A Bangkok Criminal Court began US extradition trials for Bout. The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has raised concerns: "Political motives, attempts to link this issue with the fight against international terrorism and thus damage the interests and reputation of Russia, are present in Bout's case. It is necessary to intensify efforts aimed at securing the rights of Russian citizen Viktor Bout, prevention of his illegal prosecution and return to his home country, as well as at curbing attempts to use this case against Russia."[16][17][18]

In the media

The 2005 film, Lord of War is based, in part, on stories of his gun-running [2]

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.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Victor Bout's Personal Webiste, FAQ
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Flying Anything to Anybody The Economist, Dec 18th 2008
  3. ^ 'Lord of war' arms trafficker arrested, The Guardian, March 7, 2008.
  4. ^ 'Merchant of Death' still on the run BBC News Africa
  5. ^ a b Merchant of Death - book's official website ISBN 978-0470048665
  6. ^ BBC Profile, Viktor Bout
  7. ^ Foreign Policy: The Merchant of Death
  8. ^ a b Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun: "The Merchant of death"
  9. ^ Victor Bout's Personal Website
  10. ^ a b c Main Page for S/2000/1225 - Final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions
  11. ^ Copy of the text of S/2000/1225Final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions
  12. ^ Douglas Farah on The Daily Show
  13. ^ a b "Meet Viktor Bout, the Real-Life 'Lord of War'" - MotherJones, September 13, 2007
  14. ^ Revealed: trap that lured the merchant of death The Observer
  15. ^ Noticias24 :: Actualidad » Cae el mayor traficante de armas del mundo, gracias a los datos del PC de Reyes
  16. ^ afp.google.com, Alleged arms dealer Bout in Thai court for US extradition case
  17. ^ guardian.co.uk, Arms dealer Viktor Bout faces Thai court for extradition to US
  18. ^ news.bbc.co.uk, Russian 'arms dealer' trial opens

See also

External links

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