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☆ Thailand Deports Dissident Russian Rock Band to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Human rights activists had warned that the seven members of the self-exiled rock band Bi-2 would face harsh punishment if they were sent to Russia. Several band members, however, hold both Russian and Israeli citizenship, and the group had been based in Israel in the 1990s. Earlier this week, Thai immigration officials said the band could choose to be deported to another destination if they felt unsafe to return to Russia. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed the decision to send the band to Israel. "Human rights concerns won out in Thailand's to let all the Bi-2 band members travel to the safety of Israel," he said(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; editing by Miral Fahmy)

Persons: Surachate Hakparn, Surachate, Igor Bortnick, Vladimir Putin, Phil Robertson, Panu, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Thai, Deputy Police, Reuters, Tel Aviv ., Russia's, Human Rights Locations: BANGKOK, Russian, Ukraine, Thailand, Israel, Moscow, Phuket, Russia, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Asia, Thailand's

☆ British BASE jumper falls to his death from condominium in Thailand after parachute fails
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Kocha Olarn | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Bangkok, Thailand CNN —A British BASE jumper has died in Thailand after his parachute failed to open when he launched off an apartment building, local police told CNN. The victim was identified as Nathy Odinson, a 33-year-old British male citizen, he added. Odinson was believed to have been involved in a business selling parachute kits for about 10 years, Sinthurat said. Police confirmed that a parachute backpack was still attached to Odinson’s body and said the parachute kit likely malfunctioned. CNN has reached out to the British Foreign Office as well as the British Embassy in Bangkok for further comment.

Persons: Thailand CNN —, Nawin Sinthurat, Instagram, Odinson, Sinthurat, ” Sinthurat, “, ” Organizations: Thailand CNN, CNN, Authorities, Facebook, Police, British, Office, British Embassy Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, British, Pattaya

☆ Fireworks Factory Explosion in Thailand Kills at Least 20
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A fireworks factory exploded in central Thailand on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and injuring many others, according to the Thai police. After the blast, the factory, in the middle of a field in Suphan Buri Province, collapsed, leaving nothing but rubble, photographs posted online by Thai media outlets showed. “Nobody could get out. Nobody could get out,” said a distraught female resident, who was weeping as she spoke into her mobile phone, in a video posted by Channel 7, a Thai broadcaster. Another resident who was interviewed by Channel 7 said the blast was so loud that it could be heard almost a kilometer away.

Persons: ” Organizations: Thai, Channel Locations: Thailand, Suphan Buri Province, Thai

☆ Crypto scam: Inside the billion-dollar ‘pig-butchering’ industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Of that, at least $9.1 million came from a crypto wallet that U.S. blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs said was linked to pig-butchering scams. Neither did the Thai government, the Thai police or the Bangkok-based trade group Wang represented, the Thai-Asia Economic Exchange Trade Association. The crypto account registered to Wang was held at Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, according to three blockchain analysis firms. In April, the U.S. Department of Justice said it seized about $112 million worth of crypto linked to pig-butchering scams, without identifying suspects. The crypto account in Wang’s name was registered in November 2020, according to the financial records Reuters reviewed.

Persons: Wang Yicheng, Wang, Emma, Lisa Wolk, Erin West, Jessica Jung, West, “ I’ve, Jeremy Douglas, Binance, Bitmain, ” Organizations: Thai, Reuters, TRM Labs, Asia Economic Exchange Trade Association, U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, FBI, Secret, Global, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S . Treasury, United Nations Office, Drugs, Workers, KK Park, Commerce Company, Cultural Exchange Center, Overseas, United, Washington, Cultural Exchange Locations: California, Bangkok, Thai, Asia, Southeast Asia, U.S, Binance, United States, Thailand, China, Myanmar, KK, Ningbo, China’s, Xiamen

☆ Thailand drops joint patrols with Chinese police after public backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Thailand rolled back on Tuesday plans of joint patrols with Chinese police in popular tourist spots after public backlash. Tourism officials on Sunday floated the idea of having Chinese and Thai police patrol much-visited areas to build confidence among tourists, including Chinese nationals. "There are many alternative ways to build confidence for tourists in Thailand ... but we will not have joint patrols," Tourism Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol told reporters on Tuesday. "The Thai police force is already adequate and are working hard to restore confidence," Sudawan said. Restoring confidence is critical for Thailand's tourism industry, especially among Chinese visitors.

Persons: Helen Yi, Jorge Silva, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, Sudawan, Chayut Setboonsarng, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Tourism, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK

☆ Thai police arrest four suspected of selling modified gun to mall shooter
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Thai police arrested on Thursday four men suspected of illegally selling modified firearms to the teenager who opened fire in a luxury mall in Bangkok this week, killing two and wounding five. Two of the four were arrested in the Thai capital and two in the southern province of Yala on suspicion of selling a modified blank gun to the 14-year-old, who has been charged with premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Mass shootings are rare in Thailand, but gun violence and gun ownership is common. "The digital ministry will be shutting down websites selling blank guns," Jakkapong Sangmanee, the deputy foreign minister, told a separate briefing. The government plans to ban imports of blank guns, BB guns and imitation firearms, its deputy spokesperson, Karom Phonphonklang, said in a statement.

Persons: Jorge Silva, Samran Nuanma, Karom Phonphonklang, Chayut Setboonsarng, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thai, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Thai, Yala

Bangkok, Thailand CNN —A teen suspected of shooting two people dead at an upscale shopping mall in Thailand has been charged with six counts including premeditated murder, police told CNN Wednesday. The 14-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday shortly after the shooting rampage at the busy Siam Paragon mall in central Bangkok’s bustling commercial and tourist district. Thai Police General Torsak Sukvimol told reporters Tuesday the suspect “surrendered himself” after the shooting and still had ammunition when he was apprehended. Staff repair the glass doors of a furniture store where a 14-year-old suspect was apprehended after a shooting rampage in Bangkok. And the shooting of Chinese victims in downtown Bangkok may make some tourists think twice about traveling to Thailand.

Persons: Thailand CNN —, Kanchana Patarachoke, General Nakarin Sukhonthawit, ” Nakarin, Nakarin, Lauren DeCicca, ”, Torsak Sukvimol, “, Thanamorn Noonart, Thanamorn, ” Thanamorn, Bangkok’s Pathum, “ it’s, Jack Taylor, Torsak, Lillian Suwanrumpha, Thailand ”, Srettha Thavisin, ” Srettha, Srettha Organizations: Thailand CNN, CNN, Siam Paragon, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Police, ” Police, Thai Police, Rajavithi Hospital, Video, Thai, Getty, Staff, Tourism Authority of, Survey, SAS, Institute for Health Metrics, University of Washington’s Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Siam, Myanmar, Laos, Pathum Wan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Bangkok’s, Bangkok’s Pathum Wan, Thai, AFP, China, Southeast Asia, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Cambodia, Weibo, Switzerland, Philippines, Nong Bua Lamphu

☆ Suspected Thai mall shooter modified handgun designed to fire blanks - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A general view shows the outside of the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall after Thai police arrested a teenage gunman who is suspected of killing foreigners and wounding other people in a shooting spree, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Oct 4 (Reuters) - A teenager suspected of killing two foreign nationals and wounding five others in a Thai shopping mall shooting had modified a handgun that was designed to fire only blanks, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Chaos erupted at the Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok close to peak hours on Tuesday, with hundreds fleeing as gunshots rang out. Major General Samran Nuanma said he modified a gun designed to fire blank rounds, to enable it to use live ammunition. Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jorge Silva, Samran Nuanma, Torsak Sukvimol, Torsak, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Siam Paragon, Police, National, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Thai, China, Myanmar

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Thailand will close legal loopholes relating to firearm classification and online sales in its gun control efforts, its police chief said on Wednesday, a day after a teenager was arrested following a deadly shooting at a mall that left two people dead. Existing Thai laws on the possession of illegal firearms carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 20,000 Thai baht($539.67). Laws have tightened after mass shootings in recent years in Thailand, including a requirement for a medical evaluation for those who want to buy a gun or renew their gun license. And in 2020, a soldier shot and killed at least 29 people in another northeastern Thai city. "The government should learn the lessons from past mass shooting incidents, review the proposed solutions and quickly implement them," Krisanaphong said.

Persons: Athit, Torsak Sukvimol, Torsak, Lazada, Krisanaphong, Panu, Poppy McPherson, Devjyot Ghoshal, Bernadette Baum, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Authorities, Thailand's Channel, Rangsit University, Reuters, Singapore's, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Southeast Asia, Thai

Fleeing shoppers were ushered by security guards from the mall into torrential rain and towards a road with heavy traffic. We saw all the people run, run, run, we didn't understand what was happening," said 26-year-old Shir Yahav from Israel, who was at a designer store at the time of the shooting. [1/6]People flee following shots fired at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. The mall said it had evacuated shoppers and staff immediately, stressing safety was of the utmost importance. "Siam Paragon would like to express our deep apologies for the unexpected event," it said in a statement, adding the mall would reopen on Wednesday.

Persons: Torsak Sukvimol, Torsak, Yahav, Devjyot, handcuffing, Panu, Pasit, Napat, Artorn, Athit, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty, Gareth Jones Organizations: Siam, Police, Thai, Siam Paragon, National, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, BANGKOK, Bangkok, China, Israel, Thailand, Siam, Nakhon Ratchasima, Instagram, Sun

Chen told CNN he “felt sad, angry and afraid” after receiving such a call on July 21, when police told him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. When evening fell, he crossed the border into the Laos mountains, he told CNN – and by early August, he’d crossed the Mekong River and entered Thailand. Many Chinese dissidents do not feel safe in Thailand given the government’s often friendly links with Beijing, and in the past dissidents based there have turned up in Chinese custody. Soon after posting his video, Chen was taken for questioning by Taiwan’s immigration authorities and the Mainland Affairs Council, he told CNN. Laos lies across China’s southwestern border and has long been a common, albeit risky, exit point for Chinese dissidents trying to leave the country.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, Chen Siming, Chen, Xi Jinping, “, ”, he’d, Beijing’s, Jiang Yefei, Dong Guangping –, Lu Siwei, Lu, Wang Dan Organizations: Taiwan CNN, CNN, United Nations, Refugees, Taoyuan International Airport, Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party, Mainland Affairs Council, UNHCR, Taiwan Affairs Office Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, United States, Canada, Thailand, China, Beijing, Laos, Guangzhou, Taoyuan, Hong Kong, West, Southeast Asia

☆ Son of Spanish actor detained in Thailand in grisly murder case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The son of the well-known actor Rodolfo Sancho who starred in El Ministerio del Tempo (The Ministry of Time) and actress Silvia Bronchalo, Daniel Sancho works as a chef and was visiting Thailand on holiday, media reported. Sancho was detained shortly after body parts were found at a landfill on Koh Phangan, an island well-known to tourists for monthly 'full moon' parties. The police said DNA tests of the remains proved them to be of Arrieta, adding they have other evidence against Sancho. CCTV footage showed by local broadcaster ThaiPBS showed Sancho and Arrieta on a motorcycle together days before the remains were discovered. Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre, Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, Read, Koh Phangan, Daniel Sancho Bronchal, General Saranyu Chamnanrat, Sancho, Saranyu, Rodolfo Sancho, Silvia Bronchalo, Daniel Sancho, Daniel Sancho himself, Phangan, ThaiPBS, Arrieta, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Kay Johnson, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Reuters, Police, Sunday, El Ministerio del Tempo, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Colombian, Koh Phangan, Thailand, BANGKOK, Koh, El, Arrieta's

☆ Former Canadian soldier extradited to Thailand over gang killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The deceased is connected with the United Nation Gang and was linked to the murder of one of the leaders of another gang, called the Red Scorpion, in Canada," Jirabhop said. The extradition involved a Thai air force flight after commercial airlines declined requests for transport over safety concerns, Thai police said. "We have ensure that there is security in Thailand and uphold our reputation that this country is safe to live in," she said. An Alberta court approved the extradition of Dupre last December. Reporting by Juarawee Kittisilpa and Napat Wesshasartar; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The suspect, who police have identified only by the name Am, was arrested on Tuesday for the alleged murder of Siriporn Kanwong, Deputy National Police Commissioner Gen. Surachate Hakparn told CNN. Siriporn was last seen on CCTV footage with Am before she fainted and died, and an autopsy later found traces of cyanide in Siriporn’s system, Surachate said. Am’s lawyer, Thannicha Akesuwannawat, told local media Thairath TV on Wednesday that her client denies any involved in Siriporn’s death. Surachate said one woman who was allegedly targeted by Am came forward to authorities after news of her arrest broke. In the potentially linked cases currently being investigated by police, all the victims ate or drank with Am in the run up to their deaths.

Members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church in Pattaya, Thailand, last month. A congregation of Chinese Christians seeking asylum abroad is traveling to the U.S. with plans to resettle permanently, capping a three-year quest for a new home outside China that was impeded by repeated legal setbacks and police detention. The 63 members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, who were detained in Thailand last week for visa violations, have departed the Southeast Asian country for the U.S., a spokeswoman for the United Nations’ refugee agency and a Thai police official told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

☆ Ex-fugitive in fraud scheme tied to $100 million NJ deli willing to pay millions for bail
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Watching from the gallery was Coker's mother, Susan, and his father, Peter Coker Sr., 80, who is also a defendant in the case. "He looks good," Susan Coker told her son's lawyers, John Azzaerello and Bill McGovern, afterward. Coker Jr. is "pretty much willing to stake every nickel he has" to be released on bond, Azzarello said. After the hearing, Azzarello told CNBC, "I don't think this case, by any means, requires pretrial detention." Coker Sr. and Patten, who were arrested in September after a grand jury indicted them and Coker Jr. on 12 criminal counts, each remain free on $100,000 bond.

☆ A Thai drug lord evaded capture by having plastic surgery to make himself look like a 'handsome Korean man', police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Thai drug dealer sought to evade capture by extensive cosmetic surgery, police say. He altered his appearance to look like a "handsome Korean man," reports say. Saharat Sawangjaeng, 25, who used the Korean alias Jimin Seong, was arrested by police in Bangkok last week, The Bangkok Post reported. Police said they were able to track down Sawangjaeng by tracing the sale of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, on the streets of Bangkok, with witnesses describing him as a "handsome Korean man." Sawangjaeng was able to evade capture for 3 months because of extensive facial surgical procedures to alter his appearance, officials said.

☆ $100 million New Jersey deli fugitive Peter Coker Jr. agrees to extradition to U.S. from Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A former fugitive wanted on criminal stock manipulation charges related to a money-losing New Jersey deli once valued at $100 million has agreed to be extradited from Thailand to the United States, Thai authorities said. Peter Coker Jr., 54, was arrested last week by Thai police in the resort area of Phuket, less than four months after he, his father, Peter Coker Sr., and an associate, James Patten, were indicted in New Jersey federal court. Coker Jr., who most recently was known to be living and working as a businessman in Hong Kong, is being held in a Bangkok jail for the next several weeks before his expected extradition, the Associated Press reported Friday. Thai police, in a statement, said Coker Jr., who is an American most recently known to be living in Hong Kong, had entered the country with a passport issued by the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis. "Mr. Coker Jr. voluntarily consented to be extradited to the U.S., which has simplified the court's legal process," Teerat Limpayaraya, a prosecutor in Thailand's Attorney General's office, told the AP.

☆ Police in Thailand arrested an American man in connection with an alleged fraud that left a New Jersey deli worth $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Thai police arrested a man over an alleged fraud involving a firm that owned a New Jersey deli. Peter Coker Jr. was detained on January 11 at a hotel in Phuket, the Bangkok Post reported. His father, Peter Coker Sr., and James Patten were arrested in September and have pleaded not guilty. Coker Jr was the subject of arrest warrants issued by Interpol, per the Post, after being accused of stock market manipulation and fraud in September. The Post reported that Coker Jr. admitted he was the man wanted on the Interpol register.

☆ Fugitive $100 million New Jersey deli defendant Peter Coker Jr. arrested in Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Peter Coker Jr., who last was known to be living in Hong Kong, is one of three people charged in the case involving the deli owner, Hometown International , and a related shell company, E-Waste . The Bangkok Post reported that the 54-year-old Coker Jr. was arrested on Jan. 11 in a hotel room in the Thalang district of Phuket province, Thailand. The newspaper said Coker Jr. was arrested pursuant to so-called red and black notices issued by the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol. Local Thai police, working with the FBI, arrested Coker, after tracking him to the hotel, The Post reported. Coker Jr. had served as chairman of Hometown International, whose sole asset for years was the Your Hometown Deli in Paulsboro, New Jersey.

Tun Min Latt is in pre-trial detention; his lawyer could not be reached for comment. Min Aung Hlaing’s two children face no legal action over the assets, according to the two people with knowledge of the case. They added that Thai authorities did not consider them relevant to the investigation against Tun Min Latt. The discovery of the documents indicated close ties between Tun Min Latt and the Myanmar junta chief’s family. Since the coup, Min Aung Hlaing’s forces have launched a bloody crackdown on dissent, killing thousands of opponents, according to the United Nations, which accuses Myanmar's troops of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is escorted by members of a special police unit after a hearing at a criminal court in Bangkok October 5, 2010. Russia got the jailed arms dealer back from the United States on Thursday after exchanging imprisoned U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for him at Abu Dhabi airport. His notoriety was such that his life helped inspire a Hollywood film, 2005’s Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, an arms dealer loosely based on Bout. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

☆ Thai police use rubber bullets to disperse protest over APEC summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Police officers holding shields stand guard during a protest against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2022, near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaBANGKOK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Thai police on Friday fired rubber bullets to disperse a protest against the APEC summit in Bangkok, a police official in charge of the event's security taskforce said. About 350 protesters had gathered and clashed with police, Ashyan Kraithong said, about 10 km (6 miles) from the venue where leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group are meeting. Youth activist Patsaravalee 'Mind' Tanakitvibulpon, who was at the demonstration, said people were protesting against the APEC summit and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. They are using rubber bullets on us and tried to stop us many times," he told Reuters.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the arms dealer who could be swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Russia wants the jailed arms dealer back in Moscow and is discussing a prisoner swap with the United States that could see him exchanged for Americans imprisoned in Russia including basketball star Brittney Griner. Reed was ultimately freed in return for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot jailed in the United States on drug trafficking charges. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. In interviews, Bout has said he attended Moscow's Military Institute of Foreign Languages, which serves as a training ground for military intelligence officers. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Russia hopes it can make a prisoner swap with the United States that would include convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death", a deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying on Friday. Amid the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Russia and the United States are exploring a prisoner swap that would see imprisoned Americans including basketball star Brittney Griner return to the United States in exchange for Bout. "The Americans are showing some external activity, we are working professionally through a special channel designed for this," Ryabkov said. "Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result." The possible swap includes Griner, facing nine years behind bars in Russia after being convicted on drug charges, and Paul Whelan who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of espionage charges that he denies.

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