The Financial Times reported last week that the UK and US governments have been trying to block the freezing of air smuggler and gun runner Viktor Bout, allegedly in return for services rendered in Iraq.
Link More recently, the FT reported that this had been reversed, but Le Monde contradicted this. They mention a firm called British Gulf International Airlines, based in Sharjah, but incorporated in Kyrgyzstan (and previously in Sao Tome & Principe) that seems (
blog post) to operate a fleet of An12s that all originate with other - shall we say - dubious or Bout-connected operations.
Two things.
1) WHAT THE F**K!
2) Anyone heard of this lot?