Arms dealer handed 30 years’ prison by US court

LOS ANGELES: An international arms dealer was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Los Angeles federal court late on Monday for conspiring to sell surface-to-air missiles to Libyan militants and other customers in the Middle East.

The trafficking operation run by Rami Najm Asad-Ghanem was described as "breathtaking and frightening" by Judge James Otero, who pronounced the sentence. Ghanem, a 53-year-old naturalized American citizen, pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes at his trial in November. He was accused of negotiating the sale of Russian-made missile systems to a Libyan armed faction in 2015.

Prosecutors said Ghanem had negotiated salaries and organised travel for mercenaries who would receive $50,000 if they successfully shot down planes belonging to the internationally recognized Libyan government. US authorities were alerted to Ghanem in 2014 after he approached a Los Angeles-based defense manufacturer.