SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Mercenary? Venezuela Detains US Man at Border Crossing
President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez says security forces have detained a US citizen under suspicion that he is a mercenary or foreign agent, and insinuated the man could be part of a possible future effort to destabilize the South American nation if the opposition's candidate loses in the upcoming presidential election.
Aug 10, 2012
President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez says security forces have detained a US citizen under suspicion that he is a mercenary or foreign agent, and insinuated the man could be part of a possible future effort to destabilize the South American nation if the opposition's candidate loses in the upcoming presidential election.
"He has the look of a mercenary. We are interrogating him," Chavez said during a public speech, adding that the man had stamps in his passport from visits to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. In addition, Chavez said, the man had a notebook containing geographical coordinates which he attempted to destroy after being detained.
"We have reconstructed the pages," he said. "He says he was fleeing from someone ... It's a powerful sign. This citizen wanted to enter the country illegally, for who knows what reason. He cannot say where he was going, or who was waiting for him."
Chavez, who has recently battled cancer but says he is healthy, holds a formidable two-digit lead against his rival Henrique Capriles in most polls.
US embassy officials have not yet responded to media requests for more information.
Reuters adds:
Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has reveled in his role as a global champion against U.S. power in fiery rhetoric and frequent accusations that play well with his power-base among Venezuela's poor majority.
There is no love lost between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, and Washington was quick to recognize Chavez's short-lived replacement after a 24-hour military coup in 2002. But President Barack Obama's administration has been avoiding direct confrontation during an election period in both nations.
# # #
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez says security forces have detained a US citizen under suspicion that he is a mercenary or foreign agent, and insinuated the man could be part of a possible future effort to destabilize the South American nation if the opposition's candidate loses in the upcoming presidential election.
"He has the look of a mercenary. We are interrogating him," Chavez said during a public speech, adding that the man had stamps in his passport from visits to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. In addition, Chavez said, the man had a notebook containing geographical coordinates which he attempted to destroy after being detained.
"We have reconstructed the pages," he said. "He says he was fleeing from someone ... It's a powerful sign. This citizen wanted to enter the country illegally, for who knows what reason. He cannot say where he was going, or who was waiting for him."
Chavez, who has recently battled cancer but says he is healthy, holds a formidable two-digit lead against his rival Henrique Capriles in most polls.
US embassy officials have not yet responded to media requests for more information.
Reuters adds:
Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has reveled in his role as a global champion against U.S. power in fiery rhetoric and frequent accusations that play well with his power-base among Venezuela's poor majority.
There is no love lost between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, and Washington was quick to recognize Chavez's short-lived replacement after a 24-hour military coup in 2002. But President Barack Obama's administration has been avoiding direct confrontation during an election period in both nations.
# # #
President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez says security forces have detained a US citizen under suspicion that he is a mercenary or foreign agent, and insinuated the man could be part of a possible future effort to destabilize the South American nation if the opposition's candidate loses in the upcoming presidential election.
"He has the look of a mercenary. We are interrogating him," Chavez said during a public speech, adding that the man had stamps in his passport from visits to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. In addition, Chavez said, the man had a notebook containing geographical coordinates which he attempted to destroy after being detained.
"We have reconstructed the pages," he said. "He says he was fleeing from someone ... It's a powerful sign. This citizen wanted to enter the country illegally, for who knows what reason. He cannot say where he was going, or who was waiting for him."
Chavez, who has recently battled cancer but says he is healthy, holds a formidable two-digit lead against his rival Henrique Capriles in most polls.
US embassy officials have not yet responded to media requests for more information.
Reuters adds:
Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has reveled in his role as a global champion against U.S. power in fiery rhetoric and frequent accusations that play well with his power-base among Venezuela's poor majority.
There is no love lost between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, and Washington was quick to recognize Chavez's short-lived replacement after a 24-hour military coup in 2002. But President Barack Obama's administration has been avoiding direct confrontation during an election period in both nations.
# # #
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.