— Domani Spero
We posted recently about the US Embassy Caracas where three embassy officials were given 48 hours to leave the country (see Venezuela (Where Almost No One Has Toilet Paper) Kicks Out Three U.S. Diplomats for “Flaming” Student Protests).
The anti-government rallies has been roiling Venezuela for days with people expressing their grievances against high inflation, crime, and the shortages of staple goods such as toilet paper, milk, rice and cooking oil. According to CNN, four anti-government protesters and one government supporter have died in clashes around the country.
Amidst these chaos, local news reported yesterday that a former official of the Bolivarian National Police (BNP) who worked for the security office of the US Embassy in Caracas was killed at 4:30 in the morning during an attempted robbery.
Local reports identified the employee as Miguel Angel Borges Cartaya, 39. He reportedly was found at the bottom of a ravine with multiple gun shots wounds.
One report says that the victim was working escort duties at the American Embassy in Caracas. Relatives cited in the report also said that the victim was leaving his house when he was attacked by several armed men who were after his belongings. He was reportedly shot when he resisted.
The Regional Security Office’s 2013 Crime and Safety Report notes that violent crime is the greatest threat in Caracas, affecting local Venezuelans and foreigners alike.
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We are so sorry to hear this news. This has been a tough couple of weeks for local embassy staff. On February 12, we blogged about the death of an FSN working at USCG Peshawar (see USCG Peshawar Employee Faisal Saeed Killed in Pakistan). On February 13, we posted about the arrest and detention of an FSN working at US Embassy Cairo (see US Embassy Cairo FSN Ahmed Alaiba Detained Since 1/25–State Dept Still Seeking “Clarity”).
We have sent an inquiry to the US Embassy Caracas but received no response.
Our unofficial source in the country confirmed to us that Miguel Cartaya was an FSN, working at the Embassy as a security guard. At this point, there apparently is no reason to believe the shooting is related to his work at the Embassy, but rather a sad fact of daily life in Caracas, which has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America. We will have a blog update if we learn more.
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Related articles
- US Embassy Caracas Gets a New Chargé d’Affaires – Philip G. Laidlaw (diplopundit.net)
- Maduro Says US Embassy Plotting Against Venezuela (abcnews.go.com)
- Venezuela braces for protest led by fugitive; US diplomats expelled (stripes.com)
- What the Heck Is Going on in Venezuela? (Could the Maduro Regime Fall?) (businessweek.com)
- Venezuela’s Student-Led Protests Instensify As Opposition Leader Surrenders (huffingtonpost.com)
