Venezuela frees, expels ‘spying’ US filmmaker

Venezuela has released and expelled US filmmaker Timothy Tracy, held on suspicion of involvement in espionage activities and fomenting post-election violence in the country.

Venezuelan government spokesperson Raimundo Urrechaga confirmed the release on Wednesday, when Tiffany Tracy, Timothy’s sister, also reported the matter.

Venezuela’s Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres posted on Twitter on the same day, “The American Timothy Hallet Tracy, who was caught spying in our country, has been expelled from the national territory.”

Torres had previously said that the US citizen was trying to “destabilize the country with the goal of starting a civil war.”

The 35-year-old filmmaker was arrested on April 24 at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas as he was about to leave Venezuela.

Following the arrest, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro issued a statement saying, “I have personally ordered Timothy Tracy’s arrest on suspicion of creating violence in the cities of this country.”

Caracas accused him of paying right-wing youth groups to hold violent demonstrations after Maduro’s election victory on April 14.

However, Tracy’s friends and family claim that he had been in Venezuela to make a documentary about the Venezuelan politics.

In March, Caracas also expelled two US military attaches over allegations of trying to foment instability in Venezuela.

Washington angered Caracas by supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who disputed the results of the April presidential election, in which Nicolas Maduro won the race with 50.7 percent of the vote against 49.1 percent for Capriles.