A Thai court on Tuesday refused to extradite alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States to face trial on charges of supplying weapons to Colombian rebels. The US wanted to try Bout, dubbed the "Merchant of Death", for conspiracy to sell millions of dollars of weapons to rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which it said could be used to kill Americans.
"The US charges are not applicable under Thai law. This is a political case," said judge Jittakorn Wattanasin in delivering the verdict at Bangkok's Criminal Court. "The FARC is fighting for a political cause and is not a criminal gang. Thailand does not recognise the FARC as a terrorist group."
Bout was arrested in a Thai-US sting operation at a Bangkok hotel in March 2008 after arriving from Moscow. Dressed in washed-out orange prison fatigues, Bout, 42, smiled as the judged read the ruling and made a "V" sign to signal victory as he left the court. Thai prosecutors have 72 hours in which to appeal against the decision. "We're disappointed and mystified by the lower court ruling," said James Entwistle, deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Thailand. "We will consult the Thai government. We understand they want to file a petition and we support that."