MB Civic

New York Times
August 20, 2006
Venezuela Says It Seized 4 Spies; U.S. Embassy Denies Knowledge
By SIMON ROMERO

CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 19  President Hugo Chvez said that the
authorities here had captured four people who were spying for the United
States, and he taunted the Bush administration for making Venezuela a target
of high-level intelligence scrutiny.

Speaking at a campaign rally on Friday night in western Venezuela, Mr.
Chvez, who has made attacks on the United States a staple of his
re-election campaign, ridiculed the administrations establishment of a
mission manager for intelligence on Venezuela and Cuba. J. Patrick Maher, a
longtime veteran of the C.I.A., was named to the post on Friday.

Iran and North Korea are the only other countries assigned such senior
intelligence managers, who are not expected to directly oversee intelligence
operations or analysis but rather guide these activities on a strategic
level.

They selected Jack the Ripper, Mr. Chvez said, referring to Mr. Maher.
Whatever their plan is, we stand ready to defeat it.

Accusations of spying have become commonplace in Venezuela in the past two
years, as Mr. Chvezs government grows more explicit in its criticism of
the United States, emboldened by climbing oil revenues and a perception that
his opponents stand little chance of defeating him in the December election.

Authorities have offered little evidence in relation to the various spying
charges, but the government has often pointed to the tacit support the Bush
administration gave to a coup that briefly ousted Mr. Chvez in 2002.

The new accusations contained few details, though Mr. Chvez did say: Ive
caught four of their spies, four, and Ive put them back in their hands. Not
long ago we caught a very beautiful woman in Valencia, taking photos.

American officials here appear to be growing used to such charges, after
Venezuelas expulsion in February of a naval attach, contending he was a
spy.

We have no idea what the president is talking about, Brian Penn, a United
States Embassy spokesman, said Saturday of the new charges.