The embassies of Britain, the United States, and Spain in Venezuela's capital Caracas have been warned about a possible firebomb attack against them in the next few days by a radical group, diplomats say. The wheelchair-bound Muslim cleric attended Friday prayers at a mosque near his Gaza City home and told reporters he would embrace "martyrdom". A Palestinian cabinet minister said Israel was playing with fire by making the threat.
"Venezuelan authorities have informed the embassies of this threat that they consider credible," one diplomat, who asked not to be named, told Reuters last night.
The British and U.S. embassies issued separate warnings to their citizens in Caracas to be vigilant, saying they were informed an attack could take place between next Sunday and Tuesday. A Spanish embassy official said he had no details.
"According to (the) information received ... an attack using an incendiary device is being planned by a radical group in Caracas," the British Embassy said in a message sent to British nationals in Venezuela. It did not identify the radical group.
The U.S. embassy sent a message to its citizens saying it had received information of a "possible threat against U.S. interests in Caracas."
"U.S. citizens are advised to maintain their security awareness," the statement added.
The U.S. message included a paragraph warning U.S. citizens about the risk of explosive devices in the Venezuelan capital, where there were several bomb attacks last year against diplomatic sites and government and military installations.
The security alert followed a fierce exchange of public criticisms over the last week between senior U.S. government officials and leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Chavez, a populist former paratrooper who has irked Washington by maintaining close ties with Communist Cuba, accused members of U.S. President George W. Bush's administration of meddling in Venezuela's internal affairs.
He rejected U.S. statements urging him to submit to a referendum being sought by his opponents this year on whether he should remain president of the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Last February, bombs badly damaged a Spanish embassy technical office and the Colombian consulate in Caracas in incidents blamed by the government on anti-Chavez military officers. The blasts followed verbal attacks by the Venezuelan president against the Spanish and Colombian governments.
Late last year, an unexploded grenade was found near the Caracas residence of a senior U.S. embassy official.