‘Military-Grade’: Alleged Arms Traffickers Extradited to US - East Idaho News
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‘Military-Grade’: Alleged Arms Traffickers Extradited to US

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thinkstock 2.26.16 militaryweapons?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1425000457070Colin Anderson/Blend Images/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Three alleged international arms dealers have been extradited to the U.S. from Europe to stand trial for allegedly conspiring to sell “military-grade” machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons to a Colombian terrorist group, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

The trio was arrested in December, at which time the Department of Justice described in a statement how the suspects allegedly had unwittingly attempted to unload their deadly wares on confidential sources working with the DEA.

The suspects believed the weapons were going to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, the DOJ said.

“[The suspects] agreed to provide these weapons to the [DEA’s confidential sources] with the specific understanding that the weapons would be used to kill Americans and, in particular, to shoot down American helicopters and airplanes,” the DOJ statement said.

“As alleged, these three men were ready and willing merchants of death, poised to sell sophisticated weapons to a terrorist organization,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in statement Thursday.

The Justice Department said the three – two alleged weapons brokers based in Romania and one in Greece – were spirited to the U.S. from Montenegro Wednesday and are expected to appear in court late Thursday.


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