The alleged 'Lord of War' arms dealer on trial in New York tried to sell a fearsome arsenal to Colombian militants he believed would target U.S. personnel, a court heard yesterday.
But lawyers for Viktor Bout denied that he had intended to supply the weapons, arguing that the former Soviet air force officer was playing along to offload two unwanted planes.
Bout, whose trial in Manhattan federal court opened yesterday, faces charges including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and conspiracy to provide help to a terrorist group.
The 44-year-old was arrested in Bangkok in 2008 after a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sting operation and extradited to New York in November.
Bout, whose trial began yesterday, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
The DEA investigation into Bout, who is said to be worth $6billion and to have inspired the 2005 Nicolas Cage film Lord of War, began in 2007.
In the DEA sting, U.S. informants posed as arms buyers from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC.
The agents approached Bout seeking to buy an arsenal of military weaponry, which prosecutors allege he agreed to provide.
Key to the operation, prosecutors said, was that the informants told Bout at meetings in Bangkok that the weapons would be used to attack U.S. pilots assisting the Colombian government, to which he responded 'we have the same enemy.'
Washington classifies the FARC, a Marxist-inspired guerrilla army, as a terrorist organization and says it is deeply involved in the cocaine trade.
Defence attorney Albert Dayan, however, said Bout was never willing the sell the 100 advanced man-portable surface-to-air missiles, the approximately 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles and 10million rounds of ammunition that were discussed.
Instead, Bout was never convinced the men were real FARC representatives, but played along in order to sell cargo planes, Mr Dayan said.
Mr Dayan told the court: 'Viktor was baiting them along with the promise of arms hoping just to sell his planes.'
He also disputed that Bout had backed the FARC plans to attack Americans, adding: 'Viktor never walked into that meeting saying, "Hey I want to kill Americans".'
While he was charged only in connection with the suspected arms deal in Thailand, U.S. authorities claim Bout has been involved in trafficking arms since the Nineties to dictators and conflict zones in Africa, South America and the Middle East.
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, who is presiding over the case, said the trial was expected to last no more than four weeks.
But lawyers for Viktor Bout denied that he had intended to supply the weapons, arguing that the former Soviet air force officer was playing along to offload two unwanted planes.
Bout, whose trial in Manhattan federal court opened yesterday, faces charges including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and conspiracy to provide help to a terrorist group.
'Lord of War': Viktor Bout, centre, is alleged to have offered to supply a fearsome arsenal of weapons to Colombian militants who planned to target U.S. personnel
Bout, whose trial began yesterday, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
Trial: Bout was extradited to New York from Thailand, where he was snared by agents posing as FARC buyers
In the DEA sting, U.S. informants posed as arms buyers from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC.
The agents approached Bout seeking to buy an arsenal of military weaponry, which prosecutors allege he agreed to provide.
Key to the operation, prosecutors said, was that the informants told Bout at meetings in Bangkok that the weapons would be used to attack U.S. pilots assisting the Colombian government, to which he responded 'we have the same enemy.'
Washington classifies the FARC, a Marxist-inspired guerrilla army, as a terrorist organization and says it is deeply involved in the cocaine trade.
Inspiration: The 2005 film Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage as a Russian arms dealer, is said to have been based on the life of Bout
THE REMARKABLE RISE AND FALL OF VIKTOR BOUT, THE 'LORD OF WAR'
Viktor Bout, a former Soviet military officer who speaks four languages, ran a private fleet of long-haul cargo planes that spanned the globe.
His transport network got its start in the early Nineties, soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He leased and then bought old Russian-made cargo planes known for their durability and size, and amassed an air armada growing to more than 60 aircraft by the decade's end, according to U.S. officials.
U.S. and UN officials and anti-arms-trade activists say they had pinpointed the flights as a key source of assault rifles and more sophisticated weapons systems turning up in the violence-plagued African nations of Liberia, Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bout eluded arrest until U.S. narcotics agents lured him to Thailand in a 2008 sting operation.
He maintains his innocence.
His transport network got its start in the early Nineties, soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He leased and then bought old Russian-made cargo planes known for their durability and size, and amassed an air armada growing to more than 60 aircraft by the decade's end, according to U.S. officials.
U.S. and UN officials and anti-arms-trade activists say they had pinpointed the flights as a key source of assault rifles and more sophisticated weapons systems turning up in the violence-plagued African nations of Liberia, Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bout eluded arrest until U.S. narcotics agents lured him to Thailand in a 2008 sting operation.
He maintains his innocence.
Instead, Bout was never convinced the men were real FARC representatives, but played along in order to sell cargo planes, Mr Dayan said.
Mr Dayan told the court: 'Viktor was baiting them along with the promise of arms hoping just to sell his planes.'
He also disputed that Bout had backed the FARC plans to attack Americans, adding: 'Viktor never walked into that meeting saying, "Hey I want to kill Americans".'
While he was charged only in connection with the suspected arms deal in Thailand, U.S. authorities claim Bout has been involved in trafficking arms since the Nineties to dictators and conflict zones in Africa, South America and the Middle East.
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, who is presiding over the case, said the trial was expected to last no more than four weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment