TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, released from a United States prison last year, on Friday April 7 2023 advises former US president Donald Trump to seek refuge in Russia. This suggestion was made because Bout considered Trump’s life “in danger”.
Bout, also known as the “Death Trader”, was traded for US basketball star Britney Griner in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington last December.
“I believe your life is in danger,” Bout wrote in a telegram sent to Trump and shown to the press in Moscow.
“The Biden administration will not stop at simply dragging you through the court/prison industrial complex,” he said, referring to Trump’s successor, Joe Biden. “They’d rather end your life than let you get in their way.”
Bout told Trump, whom he has long admired, that Trump would find “a safe haven and from here you can lead the fight for the American people.”
Bout was serving 25 years in a US prison when he was traded to Griner. Since then he has joined the Russian nationalist party.
Accused of arming rebels in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts, Bout was arrested in Thailand during a US operations operation in 2008. He was extradited to the United States and sentenced in 2012.
Washington and Moscow have in recent years held several prisoner exchanges.
However, there are still several Americans detained in Russia. Last week, Russia arrested US journalist Evan Gershkovich and accused him of espionage, sparking an international outcry. Washington has called the accusations against him “ridiculous”.
Editor’s Choice: After Indictment, Donald Trump Asks for Department of Justice and FBI Funds to be Cut
Al Arabiya
