Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout arrives at Thai court for a verdict on extra charges filed against him. The court dismissed the charges and he now relies on the Thai President to halt his extradition to the United States.<br /><br />Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout arrived back at Bangkok's criminal court on Tuesday for a ruling on money laundering and wire fraud charges.<br /><br />The court dismissed the charges removing a major obstacle to his extradition to the United States.<br /><br />The legal wrangling is the latest twist in a two-year diplomatic tug of war between Washington and Moscow over a man accused of trafficking weapons since the 1990s to dictators and conflict zones in Africa, South America and the Middle East.<br /><br />Bout, a 43-year-old former Soviet air force pilot, was arrested after a sting operation in Bangkok involving undercover US agents posing as rebels from Colombia's Marxist FARC group.<br /><br />Bout has also petitioned Thailand's prime minister to block the extradition. <br /><br />The prime minister says he will make a decision based on national and diplomatic interests.<br /><br />Bout faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted in the United States on charges including conspiracy to kill US nationals and providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
