Venezuela charges opposition leader, protests erupt

Protests erupted in Caracas late Friday after Venezuela's attorney general charged jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez with responsibility for anti-government demonstrations that have shaken the country since February. In an ominous sign of possible escalation, a masked man was photographed moving among the protesters armed with what appeared to be a rifle with a telescopic sight. Leftist President Nicolas Maduro more than once has decried the existence of sharpshooters among the most radical protesters. Thirty-nine people have died and another 608 have been wounded since crowds took to the streets in early February to protest Venezuela's soaring crime, high inflation and shortages of essential goods.

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