President says he scrapped plan to travel to
New York after receiving intelligence that
his life was in danger.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has
said he cancelled his plan to take part in the
UN General Assembly in New York to
"protect my life" after purported threats on
it.
I decided then and there to continue back to
Caracas and drop the New York trip to
protect a key goal: safeguarding my
physical integrity, protecting my life.
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan President
Maduro, just back from a visit to China, said
on Wednesday that on a layover in
Vancouver he received intelligence on what
he said were "two highly serious
provocations", which prompted him to
scrap his UN trip.
"When I got into Vancouver I evaluated the
intelligence which we received from several
sources. I decided then and there to
continue back to Caracas and drop the New
York trip to protect a key goal:
safeguarding my physical integrity,
protecting my life," Maduro told local media.
One of the alleged provocations "had been
planned against my physical integrity" and
another could have involved violence in
New York, the leading face of Latin
America's left charged.
Venezuela is the region's closest ally of
Communist Cuba which regularly has
charged these conservatives were plotting
against their leaders, leftist policies and
governments.
Maduro earlier this month claimed the White
House is plotting the "collapse" of his
government next month by sabotaging
food, electricity and fuel supplies.
Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez,
also made regular claims about several
alleged US plots to kill him.
m.aljazeera.com/se/201392615438501918

Interesting