Rio Police Seek Hit Men in Arms Dealer’s Murder

Police Friday were investigating whether the murder of a flamboyant Lebanese-born arms dealer involved in the U.S. arms-to-Iraq scandal was a revenge killing by former colleagues or by debtors.

They were in no doubt that the shooting of Nasser Beydoun, a 45-year-old U.S. national who confessed to involvement in the 1980s arms scandal that rocked the George Bush Administration, was carried out by professional hit men.

“They killed this guy with the greatest finesse,” said police inspector Aledio Americo dos Santos, who is leading the investigation. “It looks so easy in the films but it’s hard to do it so well. They caused him the least possible harm.”