BANGKOK - THAI judges said on Tuesday they would wait until August to rule on a US request for the extradition of a Russian alleged arms dealer dubbed the 'Merchant of Death.'

Viktor Bout has been fighting extradition since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok on charges that he peddled weapons, including to Al-Qaeda, that were used in some of the world's most violent conflicts.

'Both sides can issue their closing statement to the court before 30 June,' said judge Jitakorn Patanasiri, telling the hearing that the ruling would be handed down on August 11. Bout would be able to appeal after that.

The 42-year-old former Soviet air force officer watched the proceedings from the dock, wearing leg shackles and a prison-issue outfit of orange top and shorts.

He was nabbed in a sting at a Bangkok hotel after allegedly agreeing to supply surface-to-air missiles to US agents posing as guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Bout faces life in prison if sent to the United States and convicted there on terrorism charges. He has been held at a maximum-security prison outside the Thai capital since his arrest.

He has been charged with conspiracy to kill US officers or employees and conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.

A US indictment accuses him of using a fleet of cargo planes to transport weapons and military equipment to Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Bout denies all the charges, and in March his wife testified that her husband was innocent and ran a legitimate air cargo business.

The nickname 'Merchant of Death' was coined by a former British foreign office minister and also used for a 2007 book on Bout's alleged activities. He was also reportedly the model for a character played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 Hollywood movie 'Lord of War.' -- AFP