"John Correa has to leave the country immediately," Chavez, a virulent critic of the United States, said during a visit to a theatre in Caracas.

"We have decided, in terminating his diplomatic credentials, to declare him persona non grata ... to eject from the country an officer at the US military mission for spying," Chavez said.

The US officer's whereabouts were unclear Thursday.

In Washington, the State Department had no immediate reaction to the expulsion but spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed there had been an exchange of diplomatic notes on earlier Venezuelan allegations of US espionage.

On Monday, Chavez said Venezuelan authorities had infiltrated a group of military officers from the US embassy who he alleged had been spying on his leftist government.

Officials have said the alleged network also included some Venezuelan military officers who were accused of passing sensitive information to Washington.

Chavez is a vocal critic of US President George W. Bush and frequently accuses Washington of plotting against him. He has charged the United States backed an aborted coup against him in 2002.

The Bush administration says Chavez is destabilizing the region. It recently prevented Spain from selling military planes with US parts to Venezuela.

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US Denies Venezuela Spy Charges
Washington (AFP) Feb 02 - The United States denied Thursday that a US naval attache who has been expelled by Venezuela had been involved in spy activities.

"None of the attaches was or is engaged in inappropriate activities," said Janelle Hironimus, a State Department spokeswoman.

Hironimus said the US embassy in Venezuela had received a letter on Monday outlining accusations of espionage against the naval attache, identified by Venezuelan authorities as Captain John Correa.

Another State Department official, who asked not to be named, confirmed the embassy had received a formal note Thursday declaring Correa persona non grata in Venezuela.

A Pentagon spokesman said Correa "has been rotated back to the US mainland for further duties as assigned."

Among the duties of a military attache is to report on military-political activities in the country and the region, said the US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mark Ballesteros.

President Hugo Chavez, a virulent critic of the United States, announced Thursday that his government had decided to terminate Correa's diplomatic credentials and expel him.

Hironimus said Washington would react through diplomatic channels, but gave no indication what form the response would take.

She said the United States and Venezuela had once enjoyed close military ties but relations had deteriorated "because of the rhetoric and actions of the Venezuelan government."

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