Thailand sends alleged gun runner to US

NY Times:

A Thai court on Friday ordered the extradition to the United States of Viktor Bout, a Russian businessman suspected of running a large-scale arms trafficking organization that provided weapons to governments, rebels and insurgents across the globe.

The decision, which overturns a lower court’s ruling from August 2009, is a victory for the Obama administration, which this week summoned the Thai ambassador in Washington to the State Department to “emphasize that this is of the highest priority to the United States,” a spokesman said.

Russia, which had been seeking to prevent Mr. Bout from being placed in the American legal system, reacted angrily to the ruling.

...
Russia has been unusually protective of Bout. It might suggest to some that he was working for them in disposing of their excess inventory of weapons. Perhaps they fear he might cut a deal which would implicate them. I doubt this administration would do anything about it if he did. They are stuck on reset.
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