BANGKOK, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - A Bangkok court on Tuesday turned down a U.S. request for the extradition of Russian businessman Viktor Bout, wanted by Washington on suspicion of illegal arms trafficking.
The court ruled that there were insufficient grounds to extradite Bout, 42, who was arrested in Thailand in March 2008.
The United States has now 72 hours to appeal the Thai court's decision, otherwise Bout will be released from custody.
"We are satisfied with the court's decision in Thailand and hope that he [Bout] will be able to return to his motherland as soon as possible," Igor Lyakin-Frolov, a deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department, said.
Former Russian army officer Bout was arrested during a sting operation led by U.S. agents. The United States accuses Bout of conspiring with others to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), among other illegal arms deals.
Bout, who has spent over a year in a Thai prison, has been facing extradition and trial in the United States after Thai authorities earlier announced that they would not press charges.
Bout, dubbed the "Merchant of Death" by world media, was the inspiration behind the 2005 Hollywood film "The Lord of War," starring Nicholas Cage.
