Venezuela nabs hit men targeting president_美文

Venezuela nabs hit men targeting president

"We have no doubt that Alvaro Uribe Velez has knowledge of all these things, ..And we are not the least bit surprised that he is the one giving orders through operatives," Rodriguez alleged.

The Colombian ex-president, who held office from 2002 to 2010, vehemently denied the plot, branding the allegations "slurs".

In an interview with Colombian television, Uribe said he would rather talk about "important issues and not the slurs of the dictatorship".

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost the April presidential vote to Maduro and is contesting the results, shrugged off the alleged plot, saying, "Nobody believes that tall tale."

Rodriguez alleged in June that Maduro was targeted by a separate assassination plot launched from Colombia and the US.

Venezuela made frequent allegations of assassination plots against the late leftist President Hugo Chavez and has continued to do so under Maduro, his handpicked successor.

Official results gave Maduro, 50, a razor-thin margin of just 1.5 percent over Capriles, 41, in the April 14 election.

About the broadcaster:

Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.