Two Officers Arrested in Venezuela for Plot to Assassinate Chavez

[Say_What]

<clips>

Caracas, March 9, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com)— Two suspects, including a captain of the Venezuelan National Guard, were detained late Thursday night for their presumed involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate the Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez.

A recorded telephone call in which one of the suspects talks about the planning of an attempt on the life of the president was televised Wednesday night on the state television channel VTV. This comes after President Chávez announced in a TV interview earlier this week that there are new plans for his assassination.

General Ramón Guillén Dávila and his son Capitan Tomás Guillén were taken into custody by Military Intelligence (DIM) on Thursday night for conspiring to take the President's life, a crime for which they could receive a sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison. The suspects were taken to the headquarters of the military court today where they will be tried for instigating rebellion, based on Venezuela’s Military Code of Justice.

The telephone call that supposedly implicates the two in the plot was presented Wednesday night on the TV program La Hojilla, on the state-run channel VTV. The call consists of a conversation between the captain Tomás Guillén and a foreign woman named Sindry Patricia, who according to the TV program, is his wife.

In the recorded conversation Guillén explains that his father and he, along with other military officials, one with the last name "Serruti," have been meeting to discuss plans to assassinate Chávez.
In a televised interview last Sunday, Chávez said his government is stepping up its efforts to thwart assassination attempts. He was asked about the subject by former vice-president José Vicente Rangel, who now hosts a talk show on the channel Televen after stepping down from the vice-presidency in January.

Chávez warned that plots to kill him are gaining force due to several reasons, including the recent appointment of John Negroponte as deputy to US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. Chávez called Negroponte a "professional killer," recalling his actions as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras in the 1980's in which thousands of leftists and students were killed by U.S.-backed government forces.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2235

[Fridays Child]

1. Hmm. CIA operatives?

Or is my :tinfoilhat: too tight, tonight?

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Wonder what connection they have with the CIA?

[Judi Lynn]

24. Just found an article which touches on that subject:

Ex-officer is indicted amid Chavez plot talkPublished: Friday, 9 March, 2007, 10:20 AM Doha Time

CARACAS: Venezuelan authorities have indicted a retired general for “military rebellion,” his lawyer said on Thursday, as state media and President Hugo Chavez played up talk of a presidential assassination plot.

Pro-Chavez state television played a recording purportedly of Gen. Ramon Guillen’s son discussing a plot involving his father to kill the leftist president of the Opec nation. Chavez is supported by the poor majority but hated by traditional elites.

However, lawyer Guillermo Heredia said the indictment against the general made no reference either to this possibly illegal recording or an assassination plot. The nature of the alleged “military rebellion” was unclear.

Heredia said Guillen was not guilty of any attempt to oust the president by fomenting a military putsch.
Chavez was briefly ousted in a military coup in 2002. Since then political analysts reckon he has brought enough loyalists into senior positions to offset the threat of army unrest.

In public broadcasts over the last weeks, Chavez has made increased reference to plots to kill him.
From the late 1980s to early 1990s, Guillen commanded the anti-narcotics unit of the Venezuelan National Guard, where he worked closely with the CIA.
(snip/...)

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=137151&version=1&template_id=43&parent_id=19

[leftchick]

27. excellent find Judi Lynn

I would have hoped all of the CIA guys would have been purged by now. Damn, stay safe Hugo.

[acmavm]

3. Would anybody really be shocked or surprised if it turned out that

Negroponte was up to some of his trademark shennanigans?

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Yikes. And he is right about Negroponte.

Good luck Hugo. Watch out. Be careful. Take care.

[Cha]

5. Wouldn't that be a kick

in the head?@! Chavez assasinated while bush is touring Latin America?!

Way to foil those plots, Chavez!

[peacetalksforall]

6. It's the first thing that Chavez should investigate, however, what

we're learning is that if there is intelligence involvement, it could be DIA, NSC, or the State Dept - because we know the WH no longer likes the CIA.

[TroglodyteScholar]

7. Possible sentence of 5-10 years?

Anyone know the pentalty for a similar crime in the US? I would expect something a bit harsher

[BayCityProgressive]

9. Jesus

it should be harsher! Maybe I am just used to hearing about stiff penalties here..but one would think attempting to bring down the head of state would be enough for life in prison for sure..

[leftcoastpac]

8. Or maybe, just two Officers

that scare the hell out of power mad Chavez. Seems to me, the same sort of eradication that Stalin used a few years back. "Grip on power"!

[Name removed]

10. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tkmorris]

15. Ummm, no

They played the incriminating phone call on national television. This is about as Stalinesque as a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.

[leftcoastpac]

17. Incriminating.

I wonder if we will ever get to hear about their trial and defense by their lawyers. That is assuming that they get a trial as they would here. Can you imagine the news media here if two US military officers tried to off Bush.

[tkmorris]

18. Yes. You WILL hear about the trial

Furthermore you will be able to listen to the call yourself if you wish. Other trials have been held in Venezuela, and there has been no secrecy issues. Unlike, say, Gitmo.

As to your other comment about the CIA involvement being a "conspiracy theory", why would it be? The CIA was involved in a coup attempt against Chavez once already. In fact the US has enabled or taken part in dozens of revolts and coup attempts in South America over the years. It's not exactly out of left field to think they are at it again.

[carla]

26. You mean like the fair trial

of Lt. Ehren Watada? Ever hear of double jeopardy? Ever read the US Constitution?Fair? Like the elections of 2000 and 2004? Need I point out Guantanamo concentration camp kangaroo courts?

[David__77]

20. Low-post provocatuer.

...

[otherlander]

21. Well, we did try to overthrow him 5 years ago.

So it's not like he doesn't have a reason to fear a coup. There's corruption in the Venezuelan government, but equating corruption to a regime that killed more people than Hitler is a bit over the edge, don't you think? I've never seen any reports that he's had anyone asassinated, and there are free elections, so the Venezuelans could vote him out if they wanted to.

[Judi Lynn]

22. Your post doesn't make sense. Eradication? Could you explain

the connection to this story?

If the officers are found guilty, they will go to prison for no more than 5 to 10 years, or whatever. Where is the eradication?

Apparently you're unaware you have embarrassed yourself.

By the way, I just looked up the date of Stalin's death. It was 1953. Is that your idea of "a few years back," old timer?

[carla]

25. Power mad...

as in granted the power by a duly elected legislature? Constitutionally legitimate changes made to benefit the people of the country? "Rule by decree"that ends on a given date and specifies what he is allowed to change, ie: constitutionally legal changes? "Seems to me", I smell a freeper afraid of someone using power to get a grip on injustice...have A SHORT STAY.

[LynnTheDem]

11. "thousands of leftists and students were killed by U.S.-backed government forces"

And too many Americans still don't understand the real answer to "why do they hate us".

[FreepFryer]

12. Not the first time U.S. has attempted this kind of thing...

The United States was likely behind the 2002 coup attempt in
Venezuela as well. Iran/Contra Bush-pardonee Elliot Abrams was
involved and met with coup leaders prior to the attempt (which
failed when the military backed Chavez).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Venezuelan_coup_d'état_attempt

sorry, the apostrophe broke the link>

[Say_What]

13. "was likely behind the 2002 coup attempt"???

Likely my ass. Anyone who followed that knew the US engineered that failed coup just like they did Chile and dozens of other LatAm countries.

http://venezuelafoia.info/english.html

[FreepFryer]

14. I don't disagree. (n/t)

[lovuian]

16. Ya gotta give Chavez credit for his tight security

Bush and company want him dead so bad

[David__77]

19. Good they arrested them.

They need to prepare for contingency plans in the event of problems however. I hope they have done so at some level. They should make security better. And they should definitely speed up the consolidation of revolutionary order, the reform of the economy and state institutions, and promulgation of a new constitution submitted to the vote of the people to entrench new economic rights and forms of ownership.

[Vidar]

23. Glad they caught the would-be assassins.