Chavez throws out alleged US spy

Venezuela: A US embassy official at Venezuela was expelled after President Hugo Chavez accused him of spying.

The expulsion was announced by the President and in full pomp and style.

The expulsion was announced at a parade marking the seventh anniversary of his rule. Chavez says some Venezuelan officers are also involved and action will be taken against them too.

Chavez's left wing government claims that Washington is trying to overthrow him.

America has often described Chavez as a threat to regional stability. The expulsion is likely to worsen relations between the two countries.

On Friday, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld likened Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Adolf Hitler, describing as "worrisome" the rise of Chavez and other elected populist leaders in Latin America.

Responding to a question at the Pentagon briefing on whether the United States faces a new wave of Left-wing anti-American regimes, Rumsfeld said Chavez was elected legally, just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally and then consolidated power.

What worried Rumsfeld is that Chavez is now working closely with Cuban President Fidel Castro, newly-elected Bolivian President Evo Morales and others.

The US-Venezuelan relations have plummeted to the lowest level since Chavez took power in 1999.

The Venezuelan leader frequently calls US President George W Bush "Mr Danger" and has repeatedly accused the United States of trying to overthrow the government in Caracas, which the US officials deny.

Meanwhile, in a related development Chavez ordered a naval attache at the US Embassy in Caracas to leave the country on alleged spying charges.

Chavez said in a televised address on Thursday that naval Captain John Correa has been declared persona non grata and must leave Venezuela immediately.

He also threatened to expel the full US Embassy military mission if authorities caught any of its officers spying.

The US officials confirm they received a note from Venezuela concerning Captain Correa, whose whereabouts were not clear.

He has been named in connection with accusations that several Venezuelan military officers passed information to the US military through the diplomatic mission in Caracas.

Chavez on Monday had accused US officers at the embassy of spying.

Meanwhile, a US State Department official denied that Captain Correa and other military attaches engaged in any inappropriate activity.

The official also refused to comment on whether the US would retaliate for Captain Correa's expulsion.