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Viktor Bout, also known as the 'Merchant of Death,' is a notorious Russian arms dealer. He was a polyglot former Soviet intelligence officer who turned to arms dealing after the Cold War.
Bout's arms dealing career began with surplus Soviet-era military equipment, which he used to seed a global enterprise that brought in hundreds of millions in revenue by selling to militant groups in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
His alleged former clients include terrorist groups like al Qaeda and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), as well as Western governments. He earned the moniker 'Sanctions Buster' for his ability to get around restrictive trade measures.
Bout was arrested in 2008 in Thailand in a sting by the Royal Thai Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2012, he was convicted in a Manhattan federal court of trafficking arms to terrorists and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Bout was released from U.S. custody in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner. This move sparked controversy and raised concerns about Bout's return to the arms trade.
After his release, Bout has been involved in negotiating arms deals with various groups, including Yemen's Houthi militants. In August, Houthi emissaries visited Moscow to negotiate a $10 million arms purchase, which included automatic weapons like AK-74s.
The potential arms deal between Russia and the Houthi militants represents an escalation of tensions in the Middle East conflict. The U.S. has designated the Houthis as a global terrorist group, and any involvement in arming them could lead to significant diplomatic fallout.
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