A suspected Syrian weapons dealer accused of arming militants from Iraq to Nicaragua for decades has been arrested in Spain on US charges of trying to supply Colombian rebels, authorities said today.
The arrest of Monzer al-Kassar "finally brought one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers to justice," US Attorney Michael Garcia said.
US authorities were also seeking the extradition of two other men, Tareq Mousa al Ghazi and Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, who were arrested in Romania.
All three are wanted on charges of conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
An indictment unsealed in New York today said the men had agreed to provide the weapons for the Farc "to use to protect their cocaine-trafficking business and to attack United States interests in Colombia".
"They knew the weapons they agreed to sell were destined for a terrorist organization. They knew the arms were going to be used to kill Americans," Mr Garcia told a news conference.
Colombia is the world's top producer of cocaine, with most of its crop destined for the United States and Europe.
A long-time Spanish resident known as the "Prince of Marbella" for his opulent lifestyle, Kassar has sold weapons to the Palestinian Liberation Front, Nicaragua, Bosnia, Croatia, Iran, Iraq and Somalia since the 1970s, the US Embassy in Madrid said.
The three are also charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, conspiracy to kill officers and employees of the United States, conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, and money laundering.