CARACAS, July 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Venezuela expects the US Justice Department to try Luis Posada Carriles on terrorist accusations instead of as an illegal immigrant, said Wednesday Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel.

    Posada Carriles is a former agent of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who is accused of masterminding the 1976 terrorist attack on a Cubana de Aviacion airliner which led to the death of 73 people.

    Rangel has requested that justice department of the United States take the case out of the migration court and have him tried for his role in the terrorist operations.

    Posada Carriles was born in Cuba and nationalized as Venezuelanin 1960. He was imprisoned by the Venezuelan authorities following the airliner attack, but escaped from jail in 1985 and entered the US through its border with Mexico in March this year.

    The Venezuelan government has repeatedly asked for the extradition of Posada Carriles and has been accusing the United States of attempting to tone down his crimes by only having him tried for illegally entering the country. Enditem