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Plot Against U.S. Embassy in Venezuela Foiled

Despite tensions between the two countries stemming from President Hugo Chavez?s anti-American barnstorming around the world, Venezuelan authorities announced they had foiled an attempt to bomb the Embassy of the United States of America in Caracas, the capital. Later investigation by police in Venezuela proved that the two explosive devices ? glorified fireworks ? were planted by a student. Taking no chances, a nearby school was evacuated of children before the bombs were detonated by police, and the person suspected of planting the explosives has reportedly already been detained.

Bomb threats against American embassies are more common than you think around the world, with the vast majority likely being pranks but in any case taken seriously by officials in whichever country they are made in. These threats to American embassies predate the War on Terror, and while the Venezuelan president might come out later and state that he was the savior of America from itself, the U.S. has little to thank Chavez for and more than a few reasons to suspect that the president of the South American nation had something to with the plot.

A summertime attack against the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria was also foiled? by local authorities at the time of its execution, even though in the past that country?s dictatorial government had permitted what could have turned into violent protests outside the structure itself. In that aborted attack, gunmen opened fire on the embassy, which is normally surrounded by a large contingent of Syrian security troopers.