The United States denied Friday that a US filmmaker arrested in Venezuela was a spy tasked with sowing civil unrest throughout the country, as claimed by Caracas. The alleged agent, Timothy Tracy, was detained Wednesday at an airport near Caracas as he tried to leave the country, according to Venezuelan officials, who also released pictures of the American. "We are aware of the arrest of a US citizen in Caracas... Because of privacy considerations, we're unable to comment on the specific case further at this time," said State Department deputy spokesman Patrick Ventrell.

There may be two sides to every story, but in Venezuela you're not likely to find them in the same television newscast. Divided into warring camps like the rest of the country, the media gives the public split views of the political crisis that has gripped Venezuela since the death of leftist leader Hugo Chavez on March 5, after 14 years in power. "We have chosen two battle fronts: elections and the media, where two visions of the country are confronted," said Maryclen Stelling, a sociologist and member of the Global Media Observatory.

Venezuelan troops will parade past Nicolas Maduro after he is sworn into office Friday, but keeping their loyalty will be tricky for a leader lacking the charisma and savvy of his predecessor. Since Hugo Chavez's March 5 death, Maduro has staged frequent public events with top military leaders, showing off "civic-military unity" of the leftist regime he inherited from "el comandante." "We have a Chavista armed forces, which is to say patriotic, Bolivarian, revolutionary, anti-imperialist," Maduro said Tuesday. But cracks also have appeared on the facade of unity.

By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States held back recognition of leftist President-elect Nicolas Maduro and called on the Venezuelan government on Wednesday to respect the right of free assembly after violence at opposition protests over a disputed election.