'MERCHANT OF DEATH'
A STING operation led to the US arrest of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
He remained a prisoner of the former until the two countries exchanged him for WNBA star Brittney Griner.
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Who is Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout?
Born on January 13, 1967, Viktor Bout is an arms dealer, weapons smuggler, and former Soviet Union translator from Russia.
The media nicknamed Viktor the 'Merchant of Death' and 'Sanctions Buster' after it was first coined in a speech by former Welsh Secretary of State Peter Hain in 2000.
Thanks to Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun’s 2007 book Merchant of Death, Hain's aliases for Viktor stuck as his crimes made headlines.
On March 6, 2008, Viktor was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, as the country organized a sting operation with the US.
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Upon his apprehension, he was charged with the following:
- Conspiracy to kill US nationals
- Conspiracy to kill US officers or employees
- Conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile
- Conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization
On November 16, 2010, Thailand extradited the prisoner to the US.
On November 2, 2011, Viktor was convicted of the above-mentioned charges by a Manhattan jury.
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On April 5, 2012, he was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years behind bars.
He carried out his jail sentence at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, until December 8, 2022.
Who is Viktor's wife, Alla Bout?
Alla Bout has been Viktor's wife since 1992, and she is from Saint Petersburg.
Viktor and Alla have one child together, a daughter named Elizaveta.
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Regarding her husband's imprisonment, Alla told the Daily Beast: "For as long as I’ve lived with him, he has never received money from any Russian secret services or ministries.
"He worked 24 hours a day to make his own fortune, which now is all gone.
"I’ve lived with this strong, fearless, and patriotic man for over 20 years.
"We heard that America doesn’t let in terrorists. I thought...if my husband is a terrorist, who is everybody else?"
When did Russia and the US swap Brittney Griner for Viktor?
On December 8, 2022, it was announced that Russia and the US came to an agreement pertaining to Brittney Griner's imprisonment.
The terms of the deal revealed that the former will release Brittney if the latter releases Viktor.
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That Thursday, Viktor and Brittney were both freed from prison and allowed to return home.
It was reported that President Joe Biden signed off on the deal on Thursday, December 1.