A Thai court yesterday rejected a request by the US for the extradition of Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian arms dealer dubbed the Merchant of Death.

Mr Bout, who is said to have inspired the Hollywood film Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage, has been fighting extradition since his March last year's arrest in Bangkok on charges of peddling weapons, including to Al-Qaeda.

"The Thai court has agreed to dismiss the case," judge Jitakorn Patanasiri said in a decision that will come as a surprise to many, given the close diplomatic and security ties between Thailand and the US.

The burly, moustachioed Mr Bout flashed a victory sign after the decision. The court ruled that he should remain in detention for another 72 hours to give the attorney general chance to appeal.

Mr Bout was arrested in a sting at a Bangkok hotel after allegedly agreeing to supply surface-to-air missiles to US agents posing as guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

The Thai judge, however, said that the court in Bangkok "does not have the authority to punish actions done by foreigners against other foreigners in another country."

He said that FARC had been designated a terrorist organisation by the UN and the US but not by Thailand, meaning that as far as Thailand was concerned it was a political movement.