It has long been a subject of wild speculation as to why the Russian government has lobbied to bring home the reputed arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently detained in Thailand and, according to a recent announcement, may in fact be extradited to the United States.

The former Russian Air Force officer has allegedly built quite the illustrious career in arms dealing, even inspiring a Hollywood dedication starring Nicolas Cage (I wouldn’t blame him for feeling insulted by the casting) based on a popular book.  Long suspected of formerly being involved in the KGB, Bout reportedly worked right alongside Igor Sechin in Angola and other locales in Africa, before branching out his business empire to the Middle East and Latin America.  Fluent in six different languages, Bout oversaw a vast underground shipping empire, eventually popping up on the U.S. radar after alleged dealings with the Charles Taylor regime in Liberia and arms supply to the civil conflict in the Congo.

Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 on an INTERPOL warrant after a four-year-long sting operation by the U.S. DEA, which involved agents posing as prospective buyers on behalf of the Colombian FARC.  However in the past two years, Thailand has hemmed and hawed regarding the extradition to the U.S. for trial or the repatriation back to Russia where he would apparently be set free, strung between competing diplomatic pressure from Washington and Moscow.  Bout has even launched his own website to decry his persecution, emphasizing that he is just “a born salesman with undying love for aviation and eternal drive to succeed.“