Arms-dealing suspect Bout to be extradited to US

Suspected international arms dealer in cheerful mood

Fact: A Thai appeals court ruled Friday that suspected international arms dealer Viktor Bout, a Russia national, can be extradited to the United States. Bout has been indicted by U.S. federal authorities on a series of charges, including counts of illegally purchasing U.S. cargo planes to ferry weapons to warring parties and regimes in Africa and the Middle East. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the Thai appeals court's ruling as an "unlawful, political decision".

VW (View from Wirtland): Cheerful as he appears on the photo, Mr. Bout presents a good case of a person who is not eligible for Wirtland citizenship, despite the fact that his guilt is not proved. Bout is alleged to have brokered weapons deals in Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan, and to have armed the forces of the Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and Libya's Muammar Qaddafi. The 2005 movie Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage, is loosely based on the Russian's life. Good luck, Mr. Lavrov, in defending your citizen!