Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” has reportedly sold arms to Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Bout, who was part of the prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner two years ago, is believed to have provided the Houthis with $10 million worth of automatic arms, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Although the report said the reported arms transfers “stop well short of the sale of Russian antiship or anti-air missiles that could pose a significant threat to the U.S. military’s efforts to protect international shipping from the Houthis’ attacks,” the Biden administration has expressed concerns that Russia may provide the Houthis with weapons in retaliation for “Washington’s support of Ukraine.”
People familiar with the matter told the outlet that two Houthi representatives traveled to Moscow under the guise of purchasing pesticides and vehicles.
New York attorney Steve Zissou, who represented Bout in the United States, did not indicate whether the “Merchant of Death” met with the Houthis.
“Viktor Bout has not been in the transportation business for over twenty years,” Zissou told the WSJ. “But if the Russian government authorized him to facilitate the transfer of arms to one of America’s adversaries, it would be no different than the U.S. government sending arms and weapons of mass destruction to one of Russia’s adversaries as it has sent to Ukraine.”
