CARACAS, Venezuela, June 15 (UPI) -- Venezuela made a formal extradition request to the United States Wednesday for a Cuban dissident accused of blowing up an airliner over Venezuela.
The South American nation's ambassador to the United States, Bernardo Alvarez, said Luis Posada Carriles was a "notorious terrorist" who should be brought to justice in Venezuela, Globovision T.V. reported.
Posada -- who escaped from prison in Venezuela in 1985 -- is charged in Venezuela with masterminding the bombing of a Cuban jetliner in 1976, killing 73 people.
He has denied any involvement in the bombing.
Both Venezuela and Cuba are demanding his extradition to Venezuela. The United States has already said it would not turn Carriles over to Venezuelan authorities.
Earlier this month, Venezuelan Vice President Jose Rangel accused President Bush of shaping his terrorism policies to fit the needs and desires of U.S. foreign policy makers.
In May, declassified U.S. documents revealed Posada was a paid informant for the CIA during the 1970s and 1980s. Last week, Venezuelan officials released documents alleging Posada had advance knowledge of the plane bombing.
