US denies Venezuela extradition of anti-Castro militant

U.S. hypocrisy knows no bounds.

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): US authorities rejected Venezuela's request to extradite Luis Posada Carriles, a violent opponent of Cuban President Fidel Castro, to face charges he bombed a Cuban airliner in 1976, but Venezuela will not give up hope. "We have sent a diplomatic note to the Venezuelan embassy today, saying that the request lacked sufficient basis from a legal point of view," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez submitted an extradition request to the State Department on May 13. On Thursday, the top State Department official for Latin America, Roger Noriega, said he had not received a formal request from Caracas. Posada Carriles, 77, has been under arrest in the United States since May 17 on immigration charges after requesting US political asylum. Venezuela has demanded the extradition of Posada Carriles to stand trial for the downing of a Cuban airliner with 73 passengers aboard in 1976.

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