Former Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death,” is urging Donald Trump to seek refuge in Russia, saying his life is “in peril” in the U.S.
In an interview on Russian state TV, Bout said he sent a telegram to Trump warning him that, “The Biden administration will not stop just by dragging you through the court/prison industrial complex.”
Bout told Trump he would find a “safe haven” in Russia where he could lead the fight for the American people from there, reported The Telegraph.
Bout was freed from U.S. detention in Dec. 2022 in a much-publicized one-for-one prisoner exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner who was arrested a week before Russia invaded Ukraine for possessing less than a gram of cannabis oil. She spent ten months in jail in Russia.
The Merchant Of Death
Accused of arming rebels in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts, Bout was arrested in Thailand in a U.S. sting operation in 2008, extradited to the U.S. and sentenced in 2012.
Upon his return to Russia after the Brittney Griner prisoner swap, Bout, a former K.G.B. officer and a personal friend of Vladimir Putin, joined the Kremlin-loyal ultranationalist political party.
Prisoner Swaps
Washington and Moscow have held several prisoner exchanges in recent years though several Americans are still being held in Russia.
Last week, Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and charged him with espionage, provoking an international outcry. Washington has called the charges against him “ridiculous.”
Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.