Viktor Bout
From:
November 22, 2006 -- WMR has obtained a classified ("Law Enforcement Sensitive") US Treasury./Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms report on the activities of Russian arms smuggler and Defense Department Iraq and Afghanistan contractor Viktor Bout. The US Treasury Department recently "redesignated" Viktor Bout as a "Specially Designated National (SDN) from his previous title of "Specially-Designated Individual" (SDI) and froze some of his central African assets for Bout's illegal weapons and ammunition smuggling into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Bush administration, which has always maintained a special relationship with the Russian-Israeli Mafia kingpin, has never cracked down on Bout's network with the same consistency it has applied to Islamist "terrorists."
The order against Bout also included some of his Congolese, Rwandan, and other partners (note the freeze order against Congolese/Rwandan General Laurent Nkunda, identified as an officer of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, whose leader Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his top generals were just named by French Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere as the terrorists who shot down the Rwanda One airplane in 1994 that triggered off central Africa's genocide):
BOUT, Viktor
Anatolijevitch (a.k.a. BONT; a.k.a. BOUTOV; a.k.a. BUTT; a.k.a. BUTTE; a.k.a.
SERGITOV, Vitali); DOB 13 JAN 1967; alt. DOB 13 JAN 1970; Businessman, dealer
and transporter of weapons and minerals (individual) [LIBERIA] -to- BOUT, Viktor
Anatolijevitch (a.k.a. BONT; a.k.a. BOUTOV; a.k.a. BUTT; a.k.a. BUTTE; a.k.a.
SERGITOV, Vitali); DOB 13 JAN 1967; alt. DOB 13 JAN 1970; POB Dushanbe,
Tajikistan; Dealer and transporter of weapons and minerals; Owner, Great Lakes
Business Company, Compagnie Aerienne des Grands Lacs, Bukavu Aviation Transport,
and Business Air Services (individual) [LIBERIA] [DRCONGO]
NASR, Samir M. (a.k.a. RUPRAH, Sanjivan); DOB 9 Aug 1966; nationality Kenya;
Passport D-001829-00 (Liberia); Businessman; Former Deputy Commissioner, Bureau
of Maritime Affairs of Liberia (individual) [LIBERIA] -to- RUPRAH, Sanjivan
Singh (a.k.a. "NASR, Samir M."); DOB 9 Aug 1966; POB Kisumu, Kenya; nationality
Kenya; Passport D-001829-00 (Liberia); alt. Passport 790015037 (United Kingdom)
issued 10 Jul 1998 expires 10 Jul 2008; Businessman; Former Deputy Commissioner,
Bureau of Maritime Affairs of Liberia; (individual) [LIBERIA] [DRCONGO]
MANDRO, Khawa Panga
(a.k.a. KAHWA, Chief; a.k.a. KAHWA, Mandro Panga; a.k.a. KARIM, Yves Andoul;
a.k.a. MANDRO, Kawa; a.k.a. MANDRO, Kawa Panga; a.k.a. MANDRO, Yves Khawa Panga;
a.k.a. PANGA, Kawa); DOB 20 Aug 1973; POB Bunia, Democratic Republic of the
Congo; former President, Party for Unity and Safeguarding of the Integrity of
Congo (PUSIC) (individual) [DRCONGO]
MPANO, Douglas (a.k.a. MPAMO, Douglas Iruta); DOB 28 Dec 1965; alt. DOB 29 Dec
1965; POB Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Manager, Great Lakes Business
Company and Compagnie Aerienne des Grands Lacs (individual) [DRCONGO]
MURWANASHYAKA, Ignace; DOB 14 May 1963; POB Nogoma-Butera, Rwanda; President,
Forces Democratiques pour la Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) (individual) [DRCONGO]
NKUNDA, Laurent (a.k.a. NKUNDA BATWARE, Laurent; a.k.a. NKUNDA MAHORO BATWARE,
Laurent; a.k.a. NKUNDA, General; a.k.a. NKUNDABATWARE, Laurent); DOB 6 Feb 1967;
alt. DOB 2 Feb 1967; POB Rutshuru, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Founder, National Congress for the People's Defense; Senior Officer, Rally for
Congolese Democracy-Goma (RCD-G), 1998-2006; Officer, Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF),
1992-1998 (individual) [DRCONGO]
POPOV, Dimitri Igorevich; DOB 13 Feb 1961; alt. DOB 13 Feb 1965; POB Irkutsk,
Russia; General Manager, Great Lakes Business Company and Compagnie Aerienne des
Grands Lacs (individual) [DRCONGO]
The December 2000 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) Intelligence Division report on Bout (referred to as "But" in the report) states, "One major international illicit arms trafficker, Possibly the number one, is Victor Anatoly BUT, the subject of this report. BUT has been designated as a major international arms trafficker by the United Nations (UN) Monitoring Panel on Angola and by INTERPOL. Many western governments have also designated Victor BUT as a major arms sanctions violator and illicit arms trafficker, including the United States. BUT has also been tied to Russian Organized Crime." [Note: The use of the term "Russian Organized Crime" is misleading since over 70 of the top Russian crime oligarchs also carry Israeli passports].
The most alarming information in the report is that someone like Bout (But) was not the subject of a BATF investigation in December 2000, a time during which Bout was ferrying passengers and weapons between Taliban- and "Al Qaeda"-controlled Afghanistan, nine months before the 911 attacks on the United States. The report states, "The Bureau of ATF currently has no active investigations regarding Victor BUT. However, he does have ties to active businesses in the United States, as weIl as U.S. personnel living in Texas, Virginia and UAE. The Transnational Branch of the Bureau's Intelligence Division is currently researching the actions and business practices of these companies and personnel to determine if they are involved in BUT's illicit arms trafficking activities. This report is sensitive but unclassified."
The BATF report provides some personal information on the enigmatic Bout: "Victor Anatoliyevich BUT, a.k.a. Viktor BUT, Victor Bout, or Vadim Aminov, was born on 01/13/1967 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. His known relatives are Sergei BUT, his suspected younger brother and business partner, and his wife Alla BUT, also a business partner."
"Victor Anatoly BUT, according to open source reportinging, was a Soviet Air Force officer, and according to one South African police source, employed by the KGB until the break up of the Soviet Union in 1989/90. His regiment was disbanded after the break up and he essentially went private. His business started with gunrunning to Afghanistan and then he discovered Africa. By 1999, his operation had grown into a cargo fleet of over 20 aircraft through several companies based in various countries."
ln 1999, the main operating office of Air Cess and the TAN Group continued to be Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, even though the aircraft were based in several other African countries. The Belgian pilot, who was co-owner of the two Belgian registered companies and the chief executive of one; was also reported to have another address in Sharjah. Victor, who also had a residence in Europe, appears to be using the last name "BUT" in Sharjah, which differed slightly from "Bout", the name he used for his registration in Belgium. According to officials in southern Africa, Victor BUT uses five different passports, two of which are Russian."
Of more interest are the pre-911 ties that one of Bout's aviation associates had to Florida -- the state where the 911 hijackers trained and a group of dozens of Israeli "art students" closely monitored their activities. From the report: "Valeriy Naydo - An associate of Victor BUT and works in BUT's company Transavia Travel Agency in Sharjah, UAE. He was born on August 10, 1957, in Rostov, Russia. However, he 1ists his nationality as Ukrainian. He possesses Russian passport number KC024178, which expires on February 4,2010. His current address is P.O. Box 3962, 902 Kaloti Tower, ShaIjah, UAE. His telephone number is 06-555-8640. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He is married and his wife's name is Galina Naydo. She is Belorussian. Prior to living in Sharjah, UAE, Naydo lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, from May 6,1997 to December 20,1998. He lists his occupation as Chief Pilot and General Aviation Director forTransavia Travel Agency. He was issued a visitor/tourist visa to enter the U.S. on February 28, 2000. On the visa application he listed 1335 Saratoga St., Deland, Florida, 32724, as his visiting address. This is the company address for Uninsured Turbine Design, Inc. and Turbine Design, Inc."
Deland is close to Orlando, a major center for the activities of the Israeli art student and Daytona Beach, a nexus of the flight training by some of the 911 hijackers. This was also at a time when Bout was flying for the Taliban between Dubai, the Taliban's and Al Qaeda's chief financial center, and Afghanistan. Florida was also where Pakistan's ISI intelligence service wired $110,000 to lead hijacker Mohammed Atta.
Also, note in the below INTERPOL Red Notice that Bout was denied entry into the United States in July 2000. His address was listed as Plano, Texas -- located in the Dallas metropolitan area, another nexus for the 911 hijackers and the Israeli "art students."
INTERPOL Red Notice "Arrest Warrant" information for Viktor Bout
Reproduced gratefully from:
November 23-26, 2006 -- The notorious "muscle" for the global neocons, the Russian Viktor Bout, who has provided air logistics services and weapons for the Taliban, Al Qaeda, the US military occupation forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Israeli diamond smugglers, and various African and Middle Eastern despots, was a very busy man in the years prior to the 911 attacks. According to aviation records obtained by WMR, Bout's charter companies were flying a number of suspicious flights from Ras al Khaimah and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
From 1998 to 2000, while Bout was supplying air services for the Taliban and Al Qaeda, including supplying Ariana Afghan Airlines and the Taliban Air Force with parts and training, he was busy ferrying cargo and passengers throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa. Bout's Air Cess (Equatorial Guinea) Ilyushin 18s, registered in Swaziland, flew between Sharjah and Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan; Aktau, Kazakhstan; Astana, Kazakhstan; Karaganda, Kazakhstan; Shimkent, Kazakhstan; Atyrau, Kazakhstan; and Uralsk, Kazakhstan. The flights to Kazakhstan are odd considering the fact that the Kazakh government of Nursultan Nazarbayev was, at the time, strongly opposed to the Taliban regime and, along with Russia, Iran, and France, were aiding the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. Bout had previously flown weapons for the Northern Alliance before switching sides to the Taliban.
During the same 1998-2000 time period, Bout's Air Cess (Swaziland, Liberia, Central African Republic), Tashkent Aircraft Production Corporation (Uzbekistan), Qeshm Air (Iran), Centrafrican Airlines (CAR), Ariana Afghan Airlines (Afghanistan), Yuzmashavia (Ukraine), Caravan Air (Mauritania), TPR flight 5004 from Ras al Khaima to Bishkek (oddly, TPR is the registration for Taxis Aereos De Parra of Mexico) flew to and from Ras al Khaima. Air Cess' stops included the Civil Airport in Khartoum, Sudan; Harare, Zimbabwe; Polokwane, South Africa; Lanseria, South Africa; Luanda, Angola; Shimkent, Kazakhstan; Salalah, Oman; Mukalla, Yemen; Usiminas, Brazil; Bourgas, Bulgaria; Bangui, Central African Republic; Dubai, UAE; Indira Gandhi International, New Delhi; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Sofia, Bulgaria; Gheshm, Iran; Istanbul, Turkey (October 4, 2000); Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (October 7, 2000), Nikolaev, Ukraine; Sharjah, UAE; Mikkeli, Finland (MIK) (stated destination for ACS Flight 202 [3D-RTD] Antonov 32 from Ras al Khaima, 2 crew, no declared cargo or passengers, 11:25 departure time from RAK, July 9, 1998); Sana'a, Yemen; Ekaterinburg, Russia; Kigali, Rwanda; Aden, Yemen; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Entebbe, Uganda; and Athens, Greece.
What was the chief airline for the Taliban and Al Qaeda doing at airports like Athens (above) prior to 911? Did the 911 Commission ever bother to ask? Why does the Bush administration continue to protect Viktor Bout?
The fact that Bout's aircraft were landing in major international airports at the same time his firms were supporting the Taliban and Al Qaeda casts a new light on international airport security prior to 911
Reproduced gratefully from:
November 21, 2006 -- On Nov. 17/18/19, 2006, WMR reported on the presence of an aircraft linked to Viktor Bout's international weapons smuggling network at Mogadishu airport. WMR reported that the "Boeing-707, registered in Ghana with registry number 9G-GAL, marked with “SACHA” on the fuselage, used the call sign 9QCTA. The plane landed in Mogadishu at 0700 GMT on November 13, 2006. The plane reportedly made previous stops with arms and ammunition at Mogadishu."
WMR has recently learned the aircraft, which is actually registered "9G-OAL," is owned by Johnson's Air of Ghana. Johnson's Air appears to have been founded around 1995 by Kansas City-based Farhad Azima (and may now be operated by Farzin (also spelled Farsin) Azima, Farhad's brother). Azima is well known for his connections to highly placed (and "well-oiled") American friends in Houston and Washington, DC and first became known for his role in the Iran Contra scandal of the 1980's. One of Azima's Boeing 707s was used to ship 23 tons of arms and ammunition to Iran in return for the release of U.S. hostages in Lebanon. The plane was leased to Race Aviation, owned by Farzin Azima. Farhad Azima served on the board of Kansas City's Indian Springs State Bank, which, along with its directors, were sued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation after the bank collapsed in 1984 after making insider loans and engaging in deposit fraud.
Global also had a contract with the Egyptian American Transport and Services Corporation (EATSCO) to ship U.S. arms to Egypt. EATSCO was a CIA front company connected to CIA officers Thomas Clines, Edwin Wilson, and Ted Shackley and Egyptian intelligence officer Hussein Salem.
Farhad Azima, an Iranian expatriate, is chairman and CEO of the Aviation Leasing Group of Companies (ALG), which owns and operates some 50 aircraft, including those operated by Buffalo Airways of Waco, Texas. In 1976, Azima founded Global International Airways (the same year that James Bath became the sole U.S. agent for Salem Bin Laden, the older brother of Osama Bin Laden, and who was heavily involved in procuring airline service companies in and around Houston). Azima also acquired a controlling interest of Capital Air, which maintained a large aircraft overhaul operation in Smyrna, Tennessee. In 1983, following the crash of a Global International press plane in Brazil that was accompanying President Reagan on a trip to that country, Global International had its operations suspended by the FAA for safety reasons -- ironic since Azima's company now provides training to the FAA. Azima has friends in both the GOP and Democratic Party -- including former DNC Chair Don Fowler and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.
Azima's worldwide aircraft empire includes training for the FAA, other airlines, and the Navy's E-6 program. Azima's companies have clients in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Canada, the former Soviet Central Asian states, and the United States. On March 19, 2005, a Johnson's Air Boeing 707 (9G-LIL) crashed into Lake Victoria on approach to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.
Johnson's Air bases a number of its aircraft at Sharjah International Airport, the same location where Viktor Bout's various airline companies base their operations. On Nov. 22, 2005, a Johnson's Air DC-8 (9G-PEL) at Sharjah was spotted with its cockpit windows blown out and covered with cardboard. Buckets were noticed under the engines collecting leaking engine oil. Both are signs that the plane was fired upon in a war zone. Other Johnson's Air planes have been spotted in Maastricht, Netherlands; Ostend, Belgium; Dubai, UAE; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Budapest Ferihegy; Recife, Brazil; and Nottingham-East Midlands, England.
Johnson's Air DC-8 with severe damage to cockpit window