Venezuela Arrests Soldiers Over Alleged Army Plot, Chavez Says

[bird gerhl]

Source: Bloomberg

Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said soldiers suspected of conspiring in a plot to destabilize the government were arrested, adding the situation is under control.

Chavez, a self-proclaimed socialist who has accused the political opposition of trying to overthrow his government since he survived a brief coup in 2002, said the country’s intelligence agency uncovered a plan to infiltrate the Miraflores presidential palace. He made the comments yesterday on state television.

“We’ve arrested some soldiers, and they remain detained, who were in contact with a solder on the run in the U.S., protected by the U.S. government, sending messages about a so- called Operation Independence,” Chavez said.

The Venezuelan president is wrapping up a political campaign to amend the constitution to allow him to seek re-election as many times as he likes. The issue will go before voters on Feb. 15 and Chavez has said the political opposition has been planning violence in the country should it lose the election.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aqfV6FwLp8Vc&refer=latin_america

[Doctor Cynic]

1. Those plots seem tied to "occur" just before elections. I wonder why.

[Judi Lynn]

3. The discovery of 113 Colombian paramilitaries living on a ranch near Caracas,

brought in, as per their confessions, by Venezuelan opposition leaders, mainly Cuban "exile" Venezuelan Roberto Alonso to break into the national guard armory, stealing enough weapons to arm 1,000 men, and take Miraflores, killing Hugo Chavez was an enormously ugly event, and happened nowhere near any election.

I recall a couple of others but don't remember names, including two separate events exposing plans by military officials connected to the original coup, but there was, again, no connection to elections with either of them.

Do you happen to have a specific situation you can recall, or others, which you imply, and links which might illuminate the claim these plots have a political relationship to elections of Hugo Chavez?

Thank you.

[Selatius]

2. Ultimately, the people will decide on matters on Feb. 15. I want to hear what they say. nt

[Judi Lynn]

4. Chavez reports attempted coup

Chavez reports attempted coup
12/02/2009 09:37 - (SA)


Caracas - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday reported an attempted coup against his palace by army troops in contact with "a soldier on the run in the United States", but said the government had everything under control.

"We've arrested some active duty soldiers who were in contact with a soldier on the run in the United States... sending messages about a so-called 'operation independence,'" Chavez said in a government-run television interview.

"They're trying to infiltrate the Miraflores presidential palace, sending messages to military units located in some states governed by the opposition," Chavez said without saying how many people were arrested.

He said some military officers who received the conspirators' messages and did not report them promptly to their superiors have been interrogated and placed under arrest.

"We've also seized weapons of war: rocket launchers, rocket-propelled grenades and C4 explosives" during raids in Valencia, 100km southeast of Caracas, and other areas in the western part of Venezuela, Chavez said.

More:
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2468550,00.html