Morales assassins: Bolivia gang "fought in Balkans"

[Jan Klimkowski]

Well-connected dogs of war, with substantial caches of weaponry, are turning up all over South America at the moment....

"Some French dude named Laurent Bocquet (above, from his 'feibu' page, as we say down here) got arrested trying to escape Caracas, Venezuela, and get to Isla Margarita on Friday. He was nabbed along with Omar Campusano, Diomedis Campusano and Edgar Florián Sánchez (all from The Dominican Republic). All four are supposedly members of the criminal gang known as "The Internationals" (oh how subtle). So when police checked out the arrested Frenchie's house in Caracas they found:

* half a kilo of C4 explosive
* flame throwers
* 5,000 (yeah, five thousand) shotgun cartridges
* bullet-proof vests
* military uniforms
* foreign licence plates
* 3 FAL weapons
* 2 machine guns
* 3 shotguns
* telescopic sights
* etc etc


Expect Venezuelan police to be called human rights offenders for daring to arrest foreign nationals like this on their soil. I mean, the impertinence...what's half a kilo of C4 between friends anyway?

UPDATE: Venezuela's Interior Minister has given a presser this afternoon to name the group as a "terrorist organization". Minister Tareck Al Aissami also said that Bocquet is known as an expert in military matters and a sharpshooter/sniper who saw action in Europe (the exact country wasn't mentioned). Here's a quote from Al Aissami:

"We can testify that the type of armaments used by these military terrorist organizations are for actions of destabilization. With this find we have no doubt in telling the country that we have dealt a severe blow to terrorism and to those groups that try to drag Venezuela into scenes of blood and confrontation."

http://incakolanews.blogspot.com/2009/05...nyone.html

Venezuela says weapons cache uncovered, 4 foreigners detained in suspected terrorist cell

RACHEL JONES | Associated Press Writer
8:14 PM EDT, May 9, 2009

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan police uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives at a Caracas apartment and later detained four foreigners on suspicion of planning terrorist acts, authorities said Saturday.

While announcing the detentions, Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami accused foes of President Hugo Chavez of "looking for violence," although he did not link the case to the political opposition. Chavez has repeatedly charged that the opposition is plotting to assassinate him or spur his ouster.

El Aissami said a police raid Friday on an apartment near the capital's center found C-4 explosive, electric detonator systems, thousands of cartridges, and 14 rifles of different models, including five with telescopic sights, five with laser sights and one with a silencer. Documents and a computer found there were being studied, he said.

"This type of military arsenal is used for military actions and operations, with the precise objective of wiping out adversaries," he said.

Without giving any details, El Aissami said the discovery led to the detention of three citizens of the Dominican Republic — Luini Omar Campusano de la Cruz, 38; Edgar Floiran Sanchez, 29; and Diomedis Campusano Perez, 31 — and a Frenchman, Laurent Frederic Bocquet, whose age was not given.

El Aissami said Bocquet was believed to be a member of the military "of a European country" as well as "terrorist organization." He did not identify either.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nati...6230.story

Venezuelan authorities gave heavy blow to terrorism
Saturday, May 09, 2009

May 09 2009, 18:07 Caracas, 9 may (PL) The Venezuelan authorities gave a hard blow to a terrorist group that sought to drag the nation of blood and scenes of confrontation, said today the Minister for the Interior and Justice (MRIJ) Tareck The Aissami.
The Aissami statements were made at a press conference 24 hours after the Metropolitan Police seized an arsenal of weapons used for operations with precise objectives.

Among the stash of 500 grams were recorded C4 explosives, a cable segment electroconductive, 11 electrical detonators for explosives, 19 thousand 721 cartridges of various calibers, 14 rifles of various models, including five with telescopic sights and an equal number with peepholes laser with a silencer.

In addition, five 12-caliber rifles, three machine guns, four guns of various calibers, 51 cacerinas firearms of different calibers, two bulletproof vests, 11 radio transmitters, three portable radios point to point, and a radio base equipment computer.

Facsimiles were also confiscated 10 guns of various calibers, six plates of foreign registered vehicles, ammunition reloaders, a gas mask, seven cell phones, command a knife nine Packaging wildfire.

So far four people were arrested and identified as Luini Campusano Omar de la Cruz, Edgar Sanchez Floirán; Campusano Diomedis Perez, of Dominican nationality, and a French name Frederic Laurent Bocquet.

Bocquet is a trained military sniper in the area that formed part of the army of a European country not mentioned, said Aissami.

The owner of MRIJV did not rule out further arrests under the newly initiated investigations, and called terrorist organizations not to play with the hope of the people, nor with the change process in Venezuela on the path of peace and democracy.

He added that the various security agencies are deployed to stop any threat that seeks to attack the people and the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, said the Minister.

http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?op...9&Itemid=1