U.S. officials attempted to force a confession from Russian alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout during an extradition flight from Thailand to the United States, a senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday, RIA Novosti reported.
"According to Viktor Bout, the Americans attempted to convince him to make a confession of the crimes he had never committed, and promised some kind of privileges in return. Bout rejected all these offers," Russia's Consul General in New York Andrei Yushmanov said after a meeting with Bout at a detention facility.
Bout, 43, was extradited to the United States on Tuesday after spending more than two and half years in Thai prisons. He was officially charged in a New York City court on Wednesday. His charges include a conspiracy to supply arms to terrorist groups and a conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals.