I think it's good news as well that Russia isn't going to try for extradition, but I am quite frankly very surprised by it.

I was under the impression that Bout was believed to have had numerous contacts within the Russian security services. And while the central government of Russia may not be the all powerful force it once was, I can't imagine that a man like Bout could have done his work without the tacit support of Putin and his cronies. I'm sure that if this were true it would be very interesting to American intelligence.

Not only that, but the work Bout has done on the behalf of the American government should be pretty interesting to Russian intelligence as well and he probably could have been expected to divulge all of that info on a quid pro quo basis if they had managed to save his behind.

So considering these points, I can't see what Russia would have had to lose by trying for extradition. Thus their decision to not throw their hand in kind of puzzles me.

-Cypher

P.S. Have you heard, is Belgium considering or attempting to extradite Bout as well to answer the money laundering charges they indicted him on or have they stepped aside to let the Americans or Thais prosecute him?

Again, I feel I have to post on how intriguing I find this story to be. I'm not seeing the whole picture yet, but it seems to me that this may just be the beginning of one of those truly great ATS moments that give true insight to the secretive world of intelligence agencies, back room arms deals, government black ops and the interconnectedness of the world's "military industrial complex."

Viktor Bout by the very nature of having had so many connections to the movers and shakers of the world, and a hand in almost every armed conflict in recent history is a wealth of information and the investigation into the story of his operations and arrest may give us a window on to that shadowy world.

The last few days, I've been voraciously devouring any info I can get on this story and it's various tentacles that reach into so many parts of the world. Should I come up with any interesting tidbits and or theories I'll be sure to share them.

Special thanks go again to Hellmutt for the amazing work you've done on this story. I hope others have applauded you, but I for one give you a resounding standing ovation!

This people, is what ATS is all about.

-Cypher

But he'll be out of prison soon. The question is where? Russia or US?


Same link as above