Via Reuters:  Venezuela arrests 8 Colombian ‘electricty spies’

Venezuela has arrested eight Colombians suspected of spying on the oil exporting nation’s electricity system, the interior minister said on Tuesday, amid power shortages that have dented the popularity of President Hugo Chavez.

[…]

Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami said the detainees were arrested during the last two weeks in two different states, and that a camera containing photos of electricity substations, transmission systems and roads was found among their possessions, along with documents in English.

I really don’t know what to make of the story, but really liked the phrase “electricity spies.”

However, I will say this:  what is the point of spying on a country with electricity problems?  Surely if one needs electricity intel one ought to spy on a country with an operative system.

Chávez is accusing the alleged spies of cutting electrical cables, although that sounds an awful lot like convenient scapegoating, given Venezuela’s power woes.