Explainer-Who is Viktor Bout, arms dealer linked to swap for Americans held by Russia?

FILE PHOTO: Alleged arms smuggler Viktor Bout from Russia is escorted by a member of the special police unit as he arrives at a criminal court in Bangkok October 4, 2010. Thailand's criminal court held a hearing today on a second case lodged against Bout. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

LONDON (Reuters) - The life of Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States and linked to a possible swap for two U.S. citizens imprisoned by Moscow, sometimes reads like a far-fetched spy thriller.

Variously dubbed “the merchant of death” and “the sanctions buster” for his ability to get around arms embargoes, Bout, 55, was one of the world’s most wanted men prior to his 2008 arrest on multiple charges related to arms trafficking.