Colombia seeking extradition of Israeli mercenary

The Colombian government has sought the extradition of an ex-Israel Defense Force officer convicted of training Colombian drug cartels in the 1980s. 61-year-old Yair Klein (image) was arrested yesterday by Russian police at Moscow's Domodedovo airport and he awaits a ten year prison sentence after being tried in absentia six years ago.

Colombian authorities had been on the hunt for Klein for nearly a decade before the arrest in Russia:

“According to the existing information, Klein served a prison term for a similar crime in Sierra Leone in the 90s, but he managed to escape from the labor camp and to return to Israel. He took a job of a representative of a commercial firm there and often traveled abroad.

The Colombian law enforcement agencies submitted documents, which showed that Klein had been an instructor in illegal armed groups for some time. The Colombian court sentenced some of the mercenaries working with him to long prison terms, but Klein again managed to escape. After that the Colombian police appealed to Russia for help.”

The private armies owned by drug barons over two decades ago and trained by Klein would become incorporated into right-wing paramilitary groups.

Sources- Haaretz, International Herald Tribune, ITAR-TASS

Image- Alalam News Network