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VIKTOR Bout has been released from jail in a one-for-one prisoner swap for the women’s basketball star Brittney Griner.

The dramatic moment came more than a decade after he was convicted on charges of conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials.

Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has been swapped for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was freed from a penal colony on Thursday
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Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has been swapped for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was freed from a penal colony on ThursdayCredit: AP
Griner was held for months in a Russian prison after being convicted of drug charges
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Griner was held for months in a Russian prison after being convicted of drug chargesCredit: AP
Bout was convicted of conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials.
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Bout was convicted of conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials.Credit: Getty

Bout exploited the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and ran a fleet of planes, shipping ammunition to war-torn countries in Africa.

He’s also accused of supplying ammunition to brutal regimes and warlords.

The former Soviet officer was often able to evade sanctions and embargos that had been imposed by the international community.

The planes had been abandoned on the tarmac as the USSR unraveled.

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He was accused of supplying weapons to groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban – allegations that he denied in 2009 in a bombshell interview with Channel 4 News in the UK.

He claimed that he transported arms to Afghanistan but alleged they were used by commanders fighting against Taliban forces.

The 2007 biography titled “Merchant of Death: Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible” documented Bout’s business dealings.

He tried to claim that he was a businessman who had “respectable clients.”

And, he told The New York Times in 2003: “I never had investors.

“It was never difficult finding money.”

But, among his clientele were militias in countries such as Congo, Angola and Liberia.

In a 2000 parliamentary hearing, British politician Peter Hain branded Bout “the chief-sanctions buster” and a “merchant of death.”

Throughout the 1990s, US government officials tried to disrupt Bout by imposing sanctions on his companies, but Hollywood directors were fascinated.

His notorious lifestyle helped inspire the Nicholas Cage movie “Lord of War.”

An arrest warrant had been issued and Bout was taken into custody in Thailand in 2008.

Drug Enforcement Administration officials executed a sting operation.

Bout had agreed to supply anti-aircraft missiles to agents who had posed up as members of the Colombian Marxist-Leninist group FARC.

When he was being ushered by agents, Bout reportedly said: “I guess the game is over.”

In 2011, Bout was convicted on charges of conspiring to kill American citizens and officers.

He was also found guilty of providing resources in the form of weapons to a foreign terrorist organization.

Attorney Preet Bharara said: “He aimed to sell those weapons to terrorists for the purpose of killing Americans.”

Juan Zarate, who served as the deputy national security advisor for combatting terrorism during the Bush administration, described Bout as a “singular international criminal.”

GRINER RELEASE

Griner was held for months in a Russian prison after being convicted of drug charges.

The one-for-one prisoner exchange was approved by president Joe Biden within the last week, CBS News reported.

The agreement was reportedly reached last Thursday.

Biden shared a message about Giner's release on Thursday alongside a picture with her wife Cherelle and vice president Kamala Harris.

"Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home," read his tweet.

The deal between the US and Russia leaves American corporate security executive and former Marine Paul Whelan imprisoned in Russia in what American officials have called fraudulent charges.

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Russian courts sentenced Griner to nine years in prison on August 4 on drug smuggling charges for bringing hashish oil into the country.

Griner was heading back to New York in February 2022 when she was stopped at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after a scan revealed that she had cartridges containing liquid with hashish oil.

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