Page 7 - Aruba-today-15 Sept 2020

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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 15 sepTember 2020

Venezuela: captured U.S. spy charged in alleged terrorist plot

By SCOTT SMITH company.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) MVM provided a state-
— Venezuela's chief prose- ment to the AP saying that
cutor on Monday said a U.S. Heath is "not currently an
citizen recently arrested in employee or contractor"
the country as a suspected with the firm.
spy has been charged in The arrest follows a failed
an alleged terrorist plot to beach incursion in early
sabotage oil refineries and May that landed two ex-
electrical service in order to Green Beret soldiers in a
stir unrest. Venezuelan jail for alleged-
The man, alleged to have ly participating in a failed
CIA ties, had help from attempt to overthrow the
three Venezuelan conspir- socialist government.
ators, who were arrested The two former U.S. special
with him last week near a forces soldiers were arrest-
pair of oil refineries on the ed along with more than 80
country's north Caribbean rebel Venezuelan fighters
coast, Venezuela's Chief who staged a failed beach
Prosecutor Tarek William attack called Operation
Saab said on state televi- Gideon aimed at arresting
sion. Maduro.
The office gave the U.S. sus- In this March 12, 2020 file photo, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks at the Miraflores The operation mounted
pect's name as Matthew presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. from makeshift training
John Heath. Associated Press camps in neighboring Co-
Authorities said cellphones lombia left several rebels
taken from the men when to open a drug trafficking oil, has been gripped by He is accused of enter- dead. It was orchestrat-
they were arrested last route through Venezuela. a deep gasoline shortage ing Venezuela illegally, the ed by Jordan Goudreau,
week include images of President Nicolás Maduro that has sparked mile-long prosecutor said, adding an American citizen and
suspected targets, includ- announced on Friday that lines to fuel up, even in the that he didn't have a pass- three-time Bronze Star re-
ing a large bridge in Zulia an unnamed suspected capital of Caracas. Vene- port but rather had a copy cipient who served in Iraq
state, military installations U.S. spy had been cap- zuela also struggles to pro- of it hidden in one of his and Afghanistan.
and dilapidated oil refiner- tured, saying he was a Ma- vide electricity to residents, shoes. The three Venezu- The ex-Green Berets in Gou-
ies in Falcon state. The pros- rine and former CIA opera- especially in Zulia state, elans accused of conspir- dreau's force — Luke Den-
ecutor showed pictures tive in Iraq. once a major hub of the ing with Heath include a man Airan Berry Venezuela
of equipment allegedly Heath has been charged nation's vast oil production. military officer, Saab said. — have been sentenced to
seized from the group, in- with terrorism, trafficking Heath is accused of target- The investigation also land- 20 years in prison. Authori-
cluding a grenade launch- illegal weapons and con- ing the Amuay and Car- ed the arrest of four other ties say the two men con-
er, plastic explosives, a sat- spiracy, authorities said. don refineries — part of the Venezuelans accused of fessed to being part of the
ellite phone and a bag of U.S. authorities have not massive Paraguana Refin- helping him sneak into the plot.
U.S. dollars. commented on the case. ery Complex on Venezu- country from Colombia, While the Trump adminis-
"Everything here could The Associated Press was ela's northern Caribbean authorities said. tration denied having any-
qualify as a lethal weapon unable to make immediate coast. However, the refin- Saab said Heath had thing to do with the bun-
designed to cause harm contact with Heath, an at- eries have ceased produc- worked in Iraq as a com- gled May incursion, Wash-
and to promote assas- torney or a relative repre- ing gasoline, and Venezu- munications specialist ington backs Venezuelan
sinations, crimes against senting him for comment ela depends on shipments three months each year opposition politician Juan
the people of Venezuela," on the accusations. from Iran, despite having from 2006 to 2016 for MVM Guaidó as the country's le-
said Saab, who also ac- The arrest surfaced as this the world's largest oil re- Inc., a Virginia-based pri- gitimate leader in place of
cused the man of planning nation, once wealthy from serves. vate security contracting Maduro.q

First U.S. spring flight to Antarctica aims to keep out virus

By NICK PERRY carrying 106 passengers Francisco for four days
Associated Press and crew, said Tony Ger- and then spent another
WELLINGTON, New Zealand man, the U.S. Antarctic five weeks isolated in New
(AP) — The first U.S. flight program's representative in Zealand, undergoing sev-
into Antarctica following New Zealand. eral virus tests along the
months of winter darkness He said the new arrivals will way. Upon their arrival at
arrived Monday with crews start getting ready for the McMurdo Station, the facil-
taking extra precautions to summer and swap out with ity entered Code Yellow,
keep out the coronavirus. skeleton crews who have meaning everybody will
Antarctica is the only conti- spent the Southern Hemi- wear masks for two weeks.
nent without the virus, and sphere winter in Antarctica. "We are being meticulous
there is a global effort to The flight was delayed for to ensure nothing hap-
make sure incoming scien- three weeks by big storms, pens," German said.
tists and workers don't bring resulting in an extended six- If the virus was to break out
it with them. week quarantine for those at the station, he said, they A U.S. Air Force C-17 takes off from Christchurch Airport in the
The U.S. Air Force flight left aboard. have protocols in place to season's first flight to McMurdo Station in Antarctica, Monday,
Monday from the gate- German said the crews test and isolate anybody Sept. 14, 2020.
way city of Christchurch were first isolated in San who is infected. q Associated Press