Venezuela expels three US diplomats

February 18, 2014 09:46 am | Updated November 16, 2021 06:36 pm IST - Caracas

Students shout slogans against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a march to the Venezuelan Telecommunications Regulator Office or CONATEL in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb17, 2014. More students, whove spent the past week on the streets alternating between peaceful protests by day and battles with police at night, marched on Monday to Venezuelas telecom regulator to demand it lift all restrictions on medias coverage of the unfolding political crisis. (AP Photo/Alejandro Cegarra)

Students shout slogans against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a march to the Venezuelan Telecommunications Regulator Office or CONATEL in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb17, 2014. More students, whove spent the past week on the streets alternating between peaceful protests by day and battles with police at night, marched on Monday to Venezuelas telecom regulator to demand it lift all restrictions on medias coverage of the unfolding political crisis. (AP Photo/Alejandro Cegarra)

Three American diplomats who were allegedly found to be related to the violent actions that have gripped the country since February 12 have been asked to leave Venezuela, authorities said.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said on Monday that they were ordering three American diplomats to leave the country by Wednesday, reported Xinhua .

At a press conference held in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, Mr. Jaua identified the three American diplomats as Vice Consul Brent Mary McCusker and U.S. embassy officials Elsen Gordon and Clark Christopher Lee. He alleged the three had held meetings in universities under the pretext of granting visas.

“The Embassy has held operations mainly in universities, where the violent actions and protests have been focused, but this is the cover to contact the leaders they train to create students’ organizations to promote violence,” alleged Mr. Jaua.

He also said Venezuela is suffering from “the common scheme which has been developed in other countries in the recent years, where violence is introduced and then the governments have to legally take actions against it, but afterwards the governments are attacked and criminated, especially by the U.S.”

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