Hugo Chavez praises imprisoned terrorist

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Hugo Chavez has defended imprisoned terrorist Carlos the Jackal, saying the Venezuelan was an important “revolutionary fighter” who supported the cause of the Palestinians.

The Venezuelan president praised Carlos — whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez — during a speech Friday night saying: “I defend him. It doesn’t matter to me what they say tomorrow in Europe.”

Ramirez gained international notoriety during the 1970s and ’80s as the alleged mastermind of a series of bombings, killings and hostage dramas. He is serving a life sentence in France for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informant.

“They accuse him of being a terrorist, but Carlos really was a revolutionary fighter,” Chavez said during a televised speech to socialist politicians from various countries.