Russia rejects US 25 year sentence for arms dealer

Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who was once dubbed the "Merchant of Death", has been handed the minimum possible sentence of 25 years in prison by a New York judge after being convicted on terrorism charges.

Bout was jailed for attempting to sell heavy arms to Colombian rebels intending to attack US pilots.

Bout, 45, was arrested in Bangkok in 2008 and subsequently extradited to New York where he was convicted last year.

Prosecutors had called for him to be jailed for life, portraying the former Soviet army officer as one of the world's most notorious and unscrupulous arms dealers.

The defence countered that Bout was a political prisoner and the victim of a sting operation that made it seem as if he hated the US and was willing to sell surface-to-air missiles to shoot down US helicopters.

The ex-Soviet officer, who is suspected of dealing in arms since the 1990s, insists he is innocent of the charge.

Moscow may seek to have him transferred to Russia to serve his sentence.

Bout, a Russian citizen, was finally convicted last year after his arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2008 following a sting operation in which US informants posed as Colombian rebels.

Sentencing was delayed twice as his lawyer sought more time to prepare and accused prosecutors of "outrageous government conduct" for allegedly entrapping the Russian.

Judge Shira Scheindlin said 25 years was an appropriate sentence for Bout's crimes given the sting set up by US officials. She also ordered him to forfeit $15 million.

Bout's lawyer said an appeal would be made against the conviction.

Russia's foreign ministry rejected Bout's sentence in a statement on Friday, saying that the charges amounted to "a political order".

"The foreign ministry considers the verdict as baseless and driven by an agenda. The whole prosecution was based exclusively on alleged criminal intent." it said.

It said that a US media campaign had hounded Bout in order to "influence the jury and the process in general in order to direct it in only one direction".

The ministry said that bringing Bout back to Russia would "remain one of our priorities" in its relations with the US.