Russian Terrorist Freed By Biden-Harris Is Back To Selling Weapons To Terrorists Attacking U.S. Navy

Viktor Bout, the notorious Russian weapons trafficker who was locked up in the U.S. after being convicted on terrorism charges and who was subsequently released by the Biden-Harris administration, is back to selling weapons to terrorists who are attacking U.S. forces.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Bout, now back in Russia, is selling weapons to the Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist group in Yemen.

The Houthis have launched countless attacks against merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden over the last year, following Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack.

They have also launched attacks against Israel and U.S. Navy warships. They’ve also shot down several U.S. surveillance drones that cost more than $30 million each.

The Houthis encountered Bout when they traveled to Moscow a couple of months ago “to negotiate the purchase of $10 million worth of automatic weapons.”

Bout claimed in an interview with Russian media that the allegation that he was selling weapons again was “baseless” — but he did not directly deny it.

The Houthis were traveling to Moscow under the guise of needing to purchase “pesticides and vehicles,” the report said.

The WSJ report said it wasn’t clear if Bout was acting on behalf of the Russian government or if he merely had its “tacit approval” to conduct the negotiation.

The Houthis bought new assault rifles and discussed other weapons they wanted, including “Kornet antitank missiles and antiaircraft weapons,” the report said.

Bout was released as part of a prisoner swap in December 2022 for WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was convicted of drug charges in Russia in August 2022.

Bout was convicted on terrorism charges back in 2011 for trying to sell tens of millions of dollars worth of missiles to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for the purpose of shooting down U.S. Military helicopters.

“Today, one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers is being held accountable for his sordid past,” said then-Attorney General Eric Holder back in November 2011. “Viktor Bout’s arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts have been a source of concern around the globe for decades. Today, he faces the prospect of life in prison for his efforts to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to terrorists for use in killing Americans.”

“As the evidence at trial showed, Viktor Bout was ready to sell a weapons arsenal that would be the envy of some small countries,” said then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara. “He aimed to sell those weapons to terrorists for the purpose of killing Americans. With today’s swift verdict, justice has been done and a very dangerous man will be behind bars. I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who investigated this case on three different continents and helped to bring Viktor Bout to justice.”