FBI and CIA identified as helping Plan Venezuelan Prosecutor's Murder

FBI and CIA identified as helping Plan Venezuelan Prosecutor's Murder

By: Alessandro Parma - Venezuelanalysis.com
Wednesday, Nov 09, 2005

Caracas, November, 9 2005 �

A key witness in the Danilo Anderson
murder trial, Giovani Jose Vasquez De Armas, has identified
FBI and CIA agents as being involved in the preparations
to assassinate the Venezuelan State Prosecutor.
Speaking on behalf of Vasquez De Armas, the Attorney General's
office said that those planning the killing,
"all discussed the plan with the help of the FBI and CIA."

Danilo Anderson was a Venezuela Prosecutor killed by a car bomb
in Caracas on November 18, 2004. He was murdered
while investigating those who were involved in leading and organizing
the April 2002 coup that briefly overthrew President Chavez
and abolished the constitution and the National Assembly.
Vasquez De Armas, a member of Colombia's right wing paramilitary group
called the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) has said that
he was in charge of logistics for the plot to kill Danilo Anderson.

According to the Attorney General, Vasquez De Armas said that
during a meeting in Darien, Panama, on September 4 and 6, 2003,
an FBI Officer called "Pesquera" and a CIA agent called "Morrinson,"
attended a meeting along with two of the plot's alleged organizers,
Patricia Poleo and Salvador Romani, as well as two of those
who actually did the killing, Rolando and Otoniel Guevera.

An official from the Attorney General's office, speaking on behalf
of Vasquez De Armas, said that in Panama the FBI and the plotting
Venezuelans agreed, "to take out Chavez and the Government."
He said, "the meeting's final objective was to kill President Chavez
and the Attorney General." Vasquez De Armas said it was at the next
meeting in the town of Maracaibo, Venezuela on March 3 and 4, 2004,
that a "dramatic change" of target took place.
At this meeting, attended, amongst others, by Retired General
Eugenio A鎑z Nez, "They decided definitely to change
the objective and chose Danilo Anderson as the victim."

As yet the FBI or CIA have not responded to these further allegations
of their involvement in plots to kill Venezuelan officials.
The FBI's most recent position has been to offer assistance
with extraditing to Venezuela other Venezuelans
suspected of participating in the plot.

Three Venezuelan's from the same family, Rolando, Otoniel,
and Juan Batista Guevera were arrested shortly after the murder
for planting and detonating the bomb that killed Anderson.
Those alleged of planning and ordering the assassination
include a retired Venezuelan general, an anti-Cuban militant,
and two leading opposition figures.

Retired General Eugenio A鎑z Nez and anti-Cuban activist
Salvador Roman�were arrested over the weekend. Nelson Mezerhane,
a businessman involved in the oppositional TV station Globovisi鏮,
and Patricia Poleo, a leading opposition journalist have
not been captured by the police and are currently in hiding.

According to Vasquez De Armas, he was sent by the United
Self-Defense Forces of Colombia to help provide operational support
for the bombing after the plotters came to the organization for help.
The Public Ministry said he and his family are currently under
the witness protection program as they fear for the lives. This is why
the Ministry says he cannot appear openly to discuss his testimony.

The defense lawyers for General A鎑z and Mr. Romani have claimed
that the testimony of one Colombian paramilitary is not enough
to prosecute their clients. The Judge in charge of the case,
Alejandra Rivas Aliendres, said that Vasquez De Armas's testimony
was not the only one and that the charges were based upon,
"12 separate pieces of evidence."