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Â«Merchant of deathÂ» faces US court

18 November 2010 02:00 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A Russian man accused of running an arms-dealing racket has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in a New York federal court, APA reports quoting â€œABC Newsâ€.
The 43-year-old former Soviet air force officer is charged with attempting to sell surface-to-air missiles and other military weapons to Colombia’s FARC rebels.
Viktor Bout was caught in a sting operation and after a two-year legal battle he was extradited from Thailand on a US government plane.
New York prosecutor Preet Bharara says he tried to sell agents an arsenal that would have been the envy of some small countries.
"[He tried to sell] more than 700 surface-to-air missiles, 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles [and] anti-personnel landmines," he said.
Dubbed the "Merchant of Death", prosecutors say they have emails, phone intercepts and recordings of Bout where he says he prefers murdering Americans.
Moscow has called the extradition illegal but the US attorney general says it is a victory for the rule of law.
If convicted, Bout could face life in prison.