Venezuela opposition leader Capriles tear-gassed at protest

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles has been tear-gassed during a protest in the capital.

The former presidential candidate was gassed Monday by soldiers who were trying to control an opposition protest that blocked a highway.

His bodyguards helped him get out of the scrum of protesters. Capriles says soldiers assaulted members of his team as they tried to move away from the crowd.

The demonstrators had been trying to make their way to a government office in the centre of Caracas, but were blocked by hundreds of soldiers in riot gear and armoured cars.