Russian Arms Dealer Convicted

A jury in New York found Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a former Soviet military officer, guilty on charges that he attempted to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian militant group that was looking to kill U.S. nationals.

In the trial, prosecutors said he would have made millions by selling anti-aircraft missiles and other arms to the terrorist group FARC in Colombia, according to the office of the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Bout, 44, “aimed to sell those weapons to terrorists for the purpose of killing Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement, adding that he “was ready to sell a weapons arsenal that would be the envy of some small countries.”

Bout, dubbed the “Merchant of Death,” was arrested in Thailand in 2008 by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and is said to be the inspiration behind the 2005 film, The Lord of War.

Human Rights First said that Bout was “linked to some of the world’s deadliest conflicts,” dealing arms to the regimes of Angola, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan. It noted that he has been wanted for nearly two decades by the United States and repeatedly violated United Nations sanctions on arms dealing.