Russian arms dealer pleads not guilty in US court (Roundup)

Nov 17, 2010, 22:14 GMT

New York - Reputed arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed the Merchant of Death, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in US federal court in Lower Manhattan, one day after the Russian was extradited from Thailand.

Bout, 43, was ordered held without bail by Judge Shira Scheindlin, who also set his next court appearance on January 10. Accompanied by court-appointed lawyer Sabrina Shroff, Bout's arraignment lasted just 10 minutes.

The US charged Bout with supporting terrorism and attempting to kill US citizens, in addition to plotting to overthrow the Colombian government.

He was alleged to have amassed a fortune by selling weapons that fueled conflicts in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Bout was arrested in 2008 in Bangkok as part of a sting operation led by US agents.

Preet Bharara, US attorney for the lower district of New York, said before the arraignment that Bout is securely in US custody.

'The so-called Merchant of Death is now a federal inmate,' Bharara said. 'No one is beyond the reach of the law.'

Bout was flown on Tuesday from Thailand to a local airport in New York, closely guarded by US federal agents. A former Soviet military officer and air cargo executive, his extradition sparked a strong reaction on Tuesday from Moscow.

The Russian government called the extradition politically motivated. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian television that it was 'an example of glaring injustice.'

US Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday in Washington that Bout was considered 'one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers.'

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