Chile says killing of Venezuelan opposition figure in Santiago was political

The February kidnap and murder of a Venezuelan opposition figure in Chile was ordered from Venezuela and likely political, according to Chile's prosecutor's office, and the government will seek to extradite two suspects who fled to Venezuela. In the early hours of Feb. 21, 32-year-old Ronald Ojeda, a former Venezuelan lieutenant who Venezuela accuses of treason for plotting against the government, was taken out of his apartment in Santiago in his underwear by men dressed as Chilean police, security camera images showed.

The February kidnap and murder of a Venezuelan opposition figure in Chile was ordered from Venezuela and likely political, according to Chile's prosecutor's office, and the government will seek to extradite two suspects who fled to Venezuela.

In the early hours of Feb. 21, 32-year-old Ronald Ojeda, a former Venezuelan lieutenant who Venezuela accuses of treason for plotting against the government, was taken out of his apartment in Santiago in his underwear by men dressed as Chilean police, security camera images showed. His body appeared on March 2 inside a suitcase, buried in cement in a Santiago suburb.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Chilean Interior Minister Carolina Toha said the suspects, who were not identified, "received the order to carry out this kidnapping. The most plausible hypothesis is that there was some political motive." Toha added that Chilean President Gabriel Boric's decision to recall the Chilean ambassador in Caracas on Thursday was linked to the case. Chile has said it is requesting Venezuela's assistance in the case, including the extradition of the two other suspects.

Venezuela's attorney general Tarek Saab said in a social media post on Friday that he had received a request from Chile for information about five people allegedly involved in the Ojeda case and that his office was locating them. Hector Barros, lead prosecutor of Santiago's organized crime and homicide team, said the crime was ordered from Venezuela and was political in nature.

"We are talking about a victim who has participated in actions against the Venezuelan government, and secondly, he has been detained for nine months in Venezuela, he escaped and has political asylum in Chile," Barros told reporters on Friday. "Given the profile he has, there is no other line of investigation." Barros said Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang that has spread throughout Latin America, was responsible for the murder.

The Venezuelan government has maintained the gang was destroyed during raids last year and no longer exists. Chilean police have detained a 17-year-old Venezuelan for the crime.

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