Wed Jun 11, 2:45 AM ET US Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Wednesday he was "very optimistic" that alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout will be extradited from Thailand to face terrorism charges. Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death" for his alleged role in fuelling some of the world's bloodiest conflicts with weapons, faces extradition hearings on July 28 after being captured by US and Thai agents in Bangkok on March 6. "The case for extradition is very strong," Mukasey told reporters in Bangkok. "I'm very optimistic that the proper course will be followed and Viktor Bout will be extradited." Mukasey praised Thai officials for their cooperation and said next month's hearings fell on his birthday. "I can think of no better gift than the extradition proceeding to go forward on that day," he said. Bout -- who faces life in prison if convicted by a US court -- has been held at a maximum-security prison outside Bangkok since his arrest, and has denied the charges against him. Mukasey said the time taken since March to reach extradition hearings was only due to usual legal process. "We are not at all disheartened that there has been a small delay," he said. Thailand's foreign minister Noppadon Pattama said he had discussed Bout's case with the attorney general. "I told him the case is in court and Thailand will follow its own juristic procedure. I assured him everything will be quick and equitable. There will be no delay," Noppadon said. The US Department of Justice last month unsealed an indictment against Bout charging him with four counts of terrorism for seeking to sell millions of dollars of weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels. He has also been charged with conspiracy to kill US officers or employees and conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile. Bout allegedly agreed to supply to the Marxist rebel group -- considered by Washington as a foreign terrorist organisation -- with surface-to-air missiles capable of bringing down helicopters and planes. The former Soviet air force officer is also believed to have supplied arms to Taliban militia, Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror network, rebels in South America and former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.
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