Lawyer Steve Zissou representing Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, aka the “Merchant of Death,” said that the United States has “absolutely” nothing to fear following his release.
Speaking to NewsNation on Saturday, Zissou said, “Does the U.S. have anything to fear from him? Absolutely not.”
Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a prisoner exchange, as the U.S. released Viktor Bout.
The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden but carried a heavy price.
Bout, 55, was serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and had been convicted of conspiring to kill Americans and supporting a terrorist organization.
Bout was convicted in 2011 on terrorism charges. Prosecutors said he was ready to sell up to $20 million in weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to shoot down U.S. helicopters.
When prosecutors made the claim at his 2012 sentencing, Bout infamously shouted: “It’s a lie!”
For the past 10 years, Bout was being held in the U.S. Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. He had been there since June 2012. He was scheduled to be released in 2029.
“They simply woke me up and told me to gather my belongings,” Bout told the Associated Press, referring to the U.S. prison officials in Marion. “They didn’t provide any special information but I understood the situation that was unfolding.”
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