A Belgian arms trafficker has been arrested in Portugal, police in Belgium announced Thursday, after almost a year on the run.

Jacques Monsieur, 66, was held at a large farmhouse near the Portuguese town of Evora on Wednesday evening, Belgian federal police said in a statement.

The Brussels appeals court sentenced him to four years in jail and a fine of 1.2 million euros ($1.33 million) in October 2018 for illegal arms trafficking and participation in a criminal organisation.

Monsieur was sentenced to 23 months in prison in the US in 2010 for trying to smuggle fighter jet parts to Iraq.

In 2002, a Brussels court sentenced Monsieur to more than three months behind bars for selling weapons including grenade launchers and missile parts to Iran, China, Ecuador, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia in the 1980s and 1990s.

His latest arrest came partly as a result of his enthusiasm for horses -- an unpaid 2,500-euro bill for transporting horses to Portugal put investigators on Monsieur's trail.

Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Ex-Pentagon chief Mattis joins arms maker General Dynamics
Washington (AFP) Aug 7, 2019
Eight months after resigning over President Donald Trump's plans to withdraw troops from Syria, former US secretary of defense James Mattis is joining the board of directors of US defense giant General Dynamics. The Falls Church, Virginia based company announced the appointment of Mattis, 68, on Wednesday, amid ongoing controversy over the cozy relationship between Pentagon leaders and the defense industry. "Jim is a thoughtful, deliberate and principled leader with a proven track record of self ... read more