Russian arms dealer to face trial

Viktor Bout, the Russian alleged "Merchant of Death" of the clandestine arms trade arrested in a US sting operation in Thailand, will stand trial in Bangkok before extradition is considered, police said on Friday.

Bout, arrested at a hotel hours after arriving in Bangkok from Moscow on Thursday, faced a charge of "seeking or gathering assets for terrorism", sought in an international warrant, Police Lieutenant General Adisorn Nonsee said.

Bout, charged in New York with conspiring to sell weapons worth millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, faces up to 10 years in jail if found guilty in Thailand.