Operation 'April Connection': These are photos of Timothy Hallet Tracy,
alias, 'El Gringo,' released by Venezuelan intelligence. Tracy has been
arrested on charges he was there to fund a civil war after the closely
contested April 14 election to replace the late Hugo
Chavez.
'Magical
Surrealism' and the Arrest of Timothy Hallet Tracy (La Nacion,
Argentina)
"The magical surrealism of Venezuela these days is the latest chapter in the Bolivarian Revolution, this time with a new protagonist: Timothy Hallet Tracy, alias, 'El Gringo.' ... Directed by Tracy, operation The April Connection ... 'included the triggering of foci of violence that would lead to civil war, the aim of which was to generate a spiral of violence that would delegitimize the government. So we acted to bring peace,' said one very convinced minister. ... The ultimate aim of the scheme set in motion by 'El Gringo' would have been 'the intervention of a foreign power in the country.'"
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro: Finding it hard to fill the shoes of Hugo Chavez, he appears to be making things up as he goes along. Most recently, he has charged U.S. director Timothy Hallet Tracy with inciting civil war. Tracy is now being held by Venezuela intelligence.
CARACAS: The
magical surrealism of Venezuela these days is the latest chapter in the
Bolivarian Revolution, this time with a new protagonist: Timothy Hallet Tracy, alias, "El Gringo." According to
the Nicolas Maduro government, the Michigan director
is a dangerous conspirator who sought to incite a "civil war" after
the April 14 elections.
On the other hand, his friends and family consider the
accusation preposterous: Tracy has been in the country for months filming a
documentary.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
On the streets of Caracas, pirated movies are widely
available. One of them, Argo, is a best
seller, even if in recent weeks it has lost its throne to newer films.
Yesterday, the adventures of a CIA agent who rescued American diplomats hiding
in Canada's Tehran embassy received some fresh promotion, when we learned of
the story of "El Gringo" - and the military intelligence agents that
arrested him.
Debuting in his new role as minister of the interior, justice
and peace, General Miguel Rodriguez Torres, former head of the Bolivarian
Intelligence Service (SEBIN), introduced Tracy to Venezuela and the world. His first charge was to
link him to violence on "anti-Chavista
15-A" - the day after the elections. [April 15].
Directed by
the filmmaker, operation The April
Connection ... "included the triggering of foci of violence that would
lead to civil war, the aim of which was to generate a spiral of violence that
would delegitimize the government. So we acted to bring peace," said one
very convinced minister, who also tied Tracy, 35, directly to the student
movement. The ultimate aim of the scheme set in motion by "El Gringo"
would have been "the intervention of a foreign power in the country."
The military
showed reporters a photo of the U.S. man with a black band across his eyes,
like the worst kind of criminal. Also on display were several videos in which young
men in a hotel room discuss issues of complete irrelevance.
"We have
captured 'El Gringo" - who funded violent groups and will be prosecuted
here," boasted Maduro hours after Tracy's arrest.
So
enthusiastic with his arrest was the Bolivarian government yesterday, that
television advertisements and newspapers were filled with, "The April
Connection Exposed," and headlines were accompanied by photos of the U.S. man and
a copy of his passport.
The government's
jubilation is understandable, given the gale of allegations made by Maduro in his month in office: that Hugo Chavez was
"infected" with cancer for being an "enemy of the empire," a
charge contradicted by the medical community; asserting without evidence that attempts
have been made to assassinate him; that Colombian paramilitaries and Salvadoran
mercenaries have disappeared as if they never existed; and that coups have been
foiled that no one believes occurred.
The arrest of
Tracy, therefore, came at just the right moment.
That is - until
the terrified voice of his father emerged from the United States saying:
"I don't see how he can be a spy - he's just an observer. The last time we
spoke, I told him it was too dangerous - and he said he was doing what had to
do."
Then some of
his Venezuelan friends joined in, like filmmaker Cesar Oropeza,
director of Pure joyitas. "I know Tim Tracy, and the conspiracy charges are false. He is a filmmaker, not a terrorist."
"They
don't have a CIA agent in prison, they have a journalist in prison. They have a
guy with a camera," Tracy's friend and colleague in Hollywood Aengus James told U.S. media. James directed American Harmony, a documentary that
was made with the participation of the man who is now designated by Caracas as a
dangerous conspirator.
Tracy also collaborated
on the Discovery Channel documentary Under Siege, a program about terrorism
and smuggling along the border of the United States and Canada.
Tracy, from
his cell in Caracas, must be cursing Ben Affleck's film. Since Argo was released, any American with a camera
is suspect. And in Bolivarian Venezuela, much more so.
