Venezuela arrests 'Colombia spies'

Venezuela says it has captured two Colombian security agents suspected of planning to destabilize the government, further heightening tensions in a diplomatic spat between the two sides. The men, allegedly agents of Colombia's security agency DAS, were caught trying to bribe Venezuelan officials for information on the country's military and insurgents, Venezuela's president said during a televised cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Describing Colombia as a "hostile government" Hugo Chavez said he believed that "the hand of the CIA and the government of the United States" were behind the alleged plot. "They will be judged according to Venezuelan law and will be granted their rights... they were captured red-handed, practicing espionage and it's not the first time... we will not release them," he added. The arrest follows reignited tensions after the weekend murder of 10 members of an amateur Colombian football team in Venezuela, an incident the government promised to investigate. Chavez said officials believe the agents were using fake names and were purportedly helping investigate the killings, adding that a lone survivor was assisting in the investigation.