Pre-trial hearings in the case of Russian businessman Viktor Bout have been moved from January 10 to January 21, the court announced on Friday.
Bout is being held in a New York prison while he awaits trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on charges including conspiring to supply arms to terrorist groups and kill U.S. nationals. He denies all the charges against him.
A spokesperson for Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin said the pre-trial hearing would now start at 16:30 EST (21:30 GMT) on January 21.
Bout's family flew into New York from Moscow on Thursday to support him during the court process.
His wife, Alla, said she, her daughter Liza and mother-in-law, Raisa, were held by immigration officers shortly after landing.
"They were certainly waiting for us. We had to wait for more than two hours while they examined our luggage, everything we had in our bags: notebooks, photographs, all personal belongings, my personal papers," she said.
She said immigration officers did not allow them to contact the Russian consul.
Former Russian army officer Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 during a sting operation led by U.S. agents. He was extradited to the United States in November after spending more than two and half years in Thai prisons. The extradition process saw both the U.S. and Russian governments exert considerable diplomatic pressure on Thailand.
Bout told RIA Novosti last week that he had rejected the offer of a deal and said he would not receive a fair trial.
NEW YORK, January 7 (RIA Novosti)
