A US jury has found a former Russian arms dealer guilty on charges of attempting to sell arms to a Colombian group.

Viktor Bout, a former Soviet air force officer who was the subject of a book titled Merchant of Death, was arrested in Bangkok in 2008 after a US Drug Enforcement Administration sting in which US informants posed as Colombian rebels.

Bout was extradited in August 2010 after a Thai court overturned an earlier rejection of  an extradition request by the US authorities.

Prosecutors said Bout stood to make millions from supplying weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group.

Bout was convicted of conspiracy to kill US citizens and officials deliver anti-aircraft missiles and provide aid to a terrorist organisation, the AP news agency said.

The defence, who had argued Bout had only wanted to sell two cargo planes, has already said that Bout will appeal against the verdict.

Bout's sentencing will take place on February 8 next year and he could face a maximum term of life in prison.