U.S. Denies Reports of Venezuela Arrest

[cal04]

The United States' top diplomat in Venezuela on Monday denied claims by President Hugo Chavez that a woman linked to the U.S. military had been arrested while photographing a military installation.

''I am absolutely sure that there was no detention of any U.S. official or soldier here in Venezuela during recent months,'' said U.S. Ambassador William Brownsfield.

Brownsfield said the U.S. Embassy in Caracas had not been notified about any such arrest. But he confirmed that in February a woman enlisted in the U.S. military lost a purse in the city of Maracay, home to Venezuela's main air force base and numerous military installations.

The purse belonging to the woman contained her military ID card, passport and a disposable camera, said an American embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The woman was dressed in civilian clothes and had been in the city to visit a military museum and was never detained, the official said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Venezuela-US-Military.html
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050426/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_us_military_4

[Judi Lynn]

1. It must have been a Venezuelan who took the American's ID, etc.

and decided to photograph a military installation. Yeah, that's it.

Or maybe it was an Iranian! Someone from Syria. Cuba! I'll bet they were carrying biological dual-use weapons, like the ones John Bolton says they've got in Cuba.

Maybe Hugo is making it up, in preparation for a war he plans to launch on us God-fearing folks. Better do a preemptory strike.

Let's go get 'em.

[burrowowl]

2. I think you are

on to something.

:rofl: