"A Personified Weapon of Mass Destruction": Ex-Arms Trafficking Inspector on Freed Russian Viktor Bout

Brittney Griner's release from Russia has brought renewed attention to the notorious Russian arms dealer whom the U.S. exchanged for the basketball star in a prisoner swap. Viktor Bout, the former Soviet military officer who became known as the Merchant of Death," was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States for conspiracy to commit terrorism. Authorities say Viktor Bout was involved in trafficking arms to dictators and stoking conflicts in Africa, South America and the Middle East. He has also been accused of furnishing weapons to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and achieved particular notoriety for selling arms in Rwanda in 1998, just four years after the Rwandan genocide. Kathi Lynn Austin, a former U.N. arms trafficking investigator, says that while Griner's release is cause for celebration, it is such a difficult time for those of us who are aware of how Viktor Bout can be easily deployed" in conflict zones. He is a personified weapon of mass destruction, and he has always proven himself ready, willing and able," says Austin.