It seems from the report below that the "airline exec" Viktor Bout (a.k.a. Viktor Butt) is wanted in Belgium to face charges of supplying weapons to terrorist groups, include al-Qaeda. Bout is well known in the air cargo business, especially in the scene in Sharjah, operating many different types of Antonov and Ilyushin aircraft from Sharjah to places within Africa (Sierra Leone, Sudan, Liberia, etc). His "airline companies" include Air Cess, Air Pass (South African now defunct) and Centrafricain Airlines --------------- 2002-03-03 05:42 MSK - Russia: no requests for Bout arrest MOSCOW - Russia has not received any requests for the arrest and extradition of Victor Bout, a suspected weapons supplier to the al-Qaida terrorist network, an official at the Prosecutor General's Office was quoted as saying Friday. Bout, who on Thursday gave a live interview to a Moscow radio station just a few blocks from the Kremlin, is wanted in Belgium and also has been named in a United Nations report as a prominent supplier of weapons to rebels in Africa. In the interview, he denied he had ever dealt in arms or had supplied anything to the Taliban or al-Qaida. Belgian officials confirmed Thursday that they had issued an international arrest warrant for Bout. They said they forwarded the request to Moscow more than two weeks ago and were in contact with Russian officials. Russian law enforcement officials made no public comment on Bout's interview, which came at about the same time as an Interpol spokesman in Moscow told the Interfax news agency that Russian law enforcement was certain Bout was not in Russia. On Friday, an unidentified spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office said Russia had not received any official requests regarding Bout, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Media reports alone are not basis enough for authorities to take action against him, the official was quoted as saying. -AP