US orders expulsion of Venezuelan consul

WASHINGTON—The United States has declared the Venezuelan consul general in Miami persona non grata and ordered her expulsion from the country, a US official said Sunday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said Livia Acosta Noguera was notified of the action on Friday and given until January 10 to leave the country.

The reason for the expulsion was not given, but Noguera was identified in a recent television documentary as a participant in an alleged Iranian plot to hack into sensitive US national security facilities.

The US action comes as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was to kick off a Latin American tour in Caracas later Sunday.