Thai government to challenge decision rejecting Viktor Bout's extradition to US

Bout, who has been dubbed the "Merchant of Death", has been fighting extradition since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok while allegedly agreeing to supply missiles to Colombian rebels.

A Bangkok court on Tuesday said that it did not have the authority to order the extradition of the 42-year-old because the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was not listed as a terrorist group in Thailand.

But the kingdom's state prosecutor formally told the court on Thursday that he would lodge an appeal against the ruling, said Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of international affairs at the Thai foreign office.

"The prosecutor has told the court that he intends to appeal against the decision. We are in the process of seeking the official ruling," Sirisak told AFP.

The prosecutor has 30 days in which to actually lodge the appeal, during which time Bout would remain in prison, he said. The court had given the government until Friday to say whether it would appeal.