Bomb Kills 1 at Venezuela Chamber

The blast occurred near the entrance of the Fedecamaras business chamber headquarters in Caracas's middle-class district of La Florida at approximately 1 a.m. local time (2 a.m. EST), killing an unidentified man and shattering windows, Federal Police Chief Marcos Chavez said.

"There's a person who was close by, and presumably could have been hit by the shock wave," Chavez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview. "We still have not identified the person."

The explosion could have been aimed at intimidating business leaders who have been critical of President Hugo Chavez, said Lope Mendoza, the chamber's deputy vice president.

"It's not the first time Fedecamaras has been attacked," Mendoza said. "Nobody is going to intimidate us. We will continue defending our principles." Mendoza noted that unidentified people have tossed several small explosives at Fedecamaras offices in recent years. Like Sunday's blast, those explosions occurred at night.

The chamber's headquarters have been repeatedly vandalized. Last year, dozens of government supporters wearing red the color of Chavez's ruling party gathered outside the building during the day, spray-painting pro-Chavez slogans on it walls.

Government officials have denied that Chavez's administration was behind previous attacks.

Last week, Fedecamaras President Jose Manuel Gonzalez strongly criticized Chavez for accusing local businesses of stockpiling products to sell later at inflated prices as Venezuelans struggle with sporadic food shortages.

Chavez warned recently that any business caught hoarding goods such as chicken, eggs and milk "should be seized and taken under government control" threats that alarmed Fedecamaras.

The socialist leader called Empresas Polar Venezuela's largest food producer a "clear example" of the kind of business that is ripe for takeover.