Yelinek was arrested Thursday night at Panama's Tocumen international airport, said the lawyer Sidney Sitton.

He is under questioning for arms trafficking, one police official said.

Yelinek is suspected of being linked to an arms deal uncovered last April by Colombian daily El Tiempo.

According to the report, a shipment of 3,000 AK-47 assault rifles, bought from the Nicaraguan army, was diverted from its supposed destination in Panama to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, Latin America's largest and best organized rebel force.

Panama and Nicaragua blamed each other for the diversion as Panama denied any participation in the transaction and Nicaragua asserted that the shipment approved by Panamanien officials.

The shipment was brokered by an Israeli owned firm based in Guatemala.

The chief of police said Yelenik surrendered himself to the police and was willing to cooperate with the investigation.

The Organization of American States is investigating the arms deal and is to release a report on December 10.

SPACE.WIRE