Venezuela said to foil assassination plot

[United Press International]

CARACAS, Venezuela, May 9 (UPI) -- Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez announced Sunday his forces foiled a plot to kill or
overthrow him by capturing about 50 Colombian paramilitaries.
Chavez claimed the men had been trained by Venezuela's
political opposition, the BBC reported. Opposition leaders say
Chavez is only attempting to discredit them.
The announcement adds to the rising political tension in
Venezuela as the opposition hopes to unseat Chavez in an upcoming
referendum.
The government said its forces arrested 56 Colombians in a
dawn raid at a farm on the outskirts of the capital, Caracas.
Venezuelan security officials say the men were planning an
attack on a military installation in Caracas. The officials said
the farm the Colombians used as a base belongs to a Cuban exile with
close links to Venezuela's opposition.
Chavez said the discovery is clear evidence his opponents
are trying to assassinate him.