|
"Merchant of
Death" to Be Detained for 12 More Days in Thailand
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout
(C) sits under police custody in Thailand, on March 7. A Thai court
Saturday sent Bout to a maximum security prison, as his lawyer denied
that the man known as the "Merchant of Death" was supplying
arms to Colombian rebels.
Thailand's Criminal Court on Saturday gave police
another 12 days for further questioning of a suspected Russian arms
dealer, Viktor Bout, sometimes described as the "Merchant of
Death", and refused to grant him release on bail.
According to the official Thai News Agency, Armed Crime Suppression
Division (CSD) and police commandos on Saturday escorted the 41-year-old
suspect to Court and sought an extension of the detention order to
question him for another 12 days.
Under Thai law, police can seek the detention of a suspect for further
questioning seven times with each time lasting 12 days.
Reasoning that Bout was a major international criminal, said to be a
former Soviet KGB agent or a former Soviet air force officer, police
also asked the court not to grant him bail for fear that he would jump
bail.
The suspect is now being detained at the Bangkok Special Prison, said
the report.
Bout was arrested Thursday at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok. If
found guilty on charges of procuring weapons for terrorists, Bout could
face up to 10 years in prison or a maximum fine of 200, 000 baht (6,250
U.S. dollars) in Thailand.
After the arrest, the Russian embassy has requested the Thai authorities
to extradite Bout from Thailand.
Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said he had met Russian
ambassador to Thailand on Friday and discussed Bout's arrest. The
ambassador asked for details of the suspect from the Thai authorities
and was confident that the issue would not hurt warm relations between
the two countries, Noppadon said.
2008-03-17 |
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