USA VS. VENEZUELA

Democracy Now: Hugo Chavez Says U.S. is Harboring “Terrorists” Plotting to Assassinate Him

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last week called on the United States to crack down on what he described as Cuban and Venezuelan terrorists training in Florida to kill him.
Last week Chavez canceled a planned trip to the United States because of security threats.

Meanwhile a recent report in US News and World Reports tiled “Terror Close to Home” charges that Venezuela is emerging as “a potential hub of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.” The article claims Chavez has provided assistance to Islamic fundamentalists.

The magazine claims that Venezuela has given social security-like cards to thousands of foreigners including many from Middle Eastern nations including Syria, Pakistan, Egypt and Lebanon. The U.S. government has warned that by giving out these ID documents, terrorists could more easily obtain Venezuelan passports and U.S. visas.

US News and World Reports also claims that US intelligence officials are investigating whether a Venezuelan of Arab descent named Hakim Mamad al Diab Fatah had ties to any of the Sept. 11 hijackers. One official described him as a person of interest.

The article goes on to claim close ties between Chavez’s government and the Columbian rebel group FARC.