. Energy News .




.
MILPLEX
Accused arms dealer driven by greed: prosecutor
by Staff Writers
New York (AFP) Oct 12, 2011

A US prosecutor outlined Wednesday how Viktor Bout, the so-called "merchant of death," was trapped by greed into trying to sell undercover agents an arsenal of weapons he expected to be used against US pilots in Colombia.

But in his own opening statement at the start of a closely watched trial in New York, a lawyer for Bout said the Russian had been framed for crimes he never committed.

The lawyers clashed on the first day of testimony in a Manhattan federal court trying Bout on charges that he conspired to sell anti-aircraft missiles and other powerful weapons with the aim of helping Colombia's FARC guerrillas -- designated by Washington as a terrorist group -- to down US helicopters.

Assistant US Attorney Brendan McGuire began by recounting to a courtroom packed with journalists, law enforcement agents and fellow prosecutors a long shopping list of lethal weaponry.

Dramatically, McGuire then paced away from the jury to Bout, jabbed his finger at the ex-Soviet military man, who sat in a neat gray suit, and said: "This man agreed to provide all of it to a foreign terrorist organization."

He put it "into the hands of men that told him they needed to kill American pilots."

According to McGuire, Bout truly believed at a meeting in Thailand in 2008 that he was attempting to sell FARC representatives the arsenal and that the intention was to bring down US choppers.

In fact, the men he met were not Colombian guerrillas but paid agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the meeting was the culmination of an elaborate sting operation to trap Bout, long accused of being the world's biggest black market arms dealer. He was arrested at that meeting and in 2010 he was extradited to New York.

"He jumped at the opportunity," McGuire said. "Why? For the money."

Bout has pleaded not guilty and says that for years he ran an air transportation business with old Soviet cargo planes, but that he never once did an arms deal.

Presenting his case, defense lawyer Albert Dayan told jurors a more complex version of the events leading up to Bout's arrest.

According to Dayan, Bout had already given up his air business and had turned to real estate dealing in his native Moscow. However when the DEA agents approached him, through a former intermediary, he believed he had an opportunity to sell off his last two airplanes -- but he had no intention or interest in dealing with weapons.

Dayan said Bout was "a man who is wrongfully accused in our country, thousands of miles away from his home."

"The simple very profound truth is that Viktor Bout never wanted, never intended to sell arms," he said.

Sitting in court were Bout's wife and teenage daughter, who sat mostly silently and without expression as they listened to a translation of proceedings on headphones.

Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com




.
.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries








. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



MILPLEX
Arguments due in alleged arms dealer's trial
New York (AFP) Oct 11, 2011
Opening arguments were due Wednesday at the start of the New York trial of Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian arms dealer described by the United States as "one of the most dangerous men" in the world. The former Soviet military officer is accused of attempting to sell a huge arsenal, including hundreds of surface-to-air missiles to US agents in Thailand posing as members of Colombia's FARC lef ... read more


MILPLEX
Australian parliament approves carbon tax

Australian parliament passes divisive carbon tax

China says 'progress' made in Russian energy talks

Emissions rising from 'carbonizing dragon'

MILPLEX
Russia's Putin ends China trip with no gas deal

China, Vietnam hold 'candid' talks on disputed seas

Ionic liquid catalyst helps turn emissions into fuel

China, Vietnam agree 'friendly' approach to sea dispute

MILPLEX
Euro Bank: Wind policy 'direction' needed

Natural Power US to act as Owner's Engineer on 2.1GW Wyoming wind farm

Natural Power deploys first dual-mode ZephIR wind lidar in India

New energy in search for future wind

MILPLEX
American Plumbing Giant Installs 3600 Solar Panels

NTU researchers develop cheaper yet efficient thin film solar cells

Solar PV micro inverters out-perform string inverters

FLABEG develops the new Ultimate Trough for CSP plants

MILPLEX
China to lead in new nuclear reactors?

Areva's Finnish EPR reactor delayed again

Cold War's nuclear wastes pose challenges to science, engineering, society

Taiwan, China to sign nuclear safety pact

MILPLEX
Certain biofuel mandates unlikely to be met by 2022

US unlikely to hit Renewable Fuel Standard for cellulosic biofuels

Advancing next gen biofuels by turning up the heat on biomass pretreatment processes

From compost to sustainable fuels as heat loving fungi sequenced

MILPLEX
China's first space lab module in good condition

Takeoff For Tiangong

Snafu as China space launch set to US patriotic song

Civilians given chance to reach for the stars

MILPLEX
The Baltic Sea contributes carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Changes in rainfall patterns are projected for next 30 years

Long-Lost Lake Offers Clues to Climate Change

Laying The Blame For Extreme Weather


.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement