A retired British businessman accused by the United States of attempting to sell equipment to Iran for use in surface-to-air missiles said Tuesday he will fight attempts to extradite him to stand trial. Christopher Tappin, 63, faces three charges filed in El Paso, Texas, in relation to an alleged deal to ship specialised batteries for Hawk missiles to Tehran, his lawyers said.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says the weapons deal was exposed in a sting by undercover customs agents. US authorities allege Tappin struck a $25,000 deal to buy five specialized batteries from agents posing as suppliers, and then was involved in arrangements for the sale of the equipment to Iran in breach of export license laws.
Tappin told reporters in London he was unaware the equipment was destined for Iran, had stood to make only $500 from his role in the deal and claimed to have been unwittingly duped by customs agents. "I deny these allegations," Tappin said at a news conference. "I was the victim of the unlawful conduct of US agents who pretended to belong to a false company, known as Mercury Global Enterprises. It exists solely to ensnare unsuspecting importers."
Tappin's case is the latest to expose tensions in arrangements for the transfer of criminal suspects between the United States and Britain. Britain's new coalition government has pledged to review law governing US-UK extradition to make sure it is fair, but has not yet offered any specific plans for reform.
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