Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez has emerged as the most vocal international mourner of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was died shortly after his capture by rebel forces on Thursday.

"We shall remember Gaddafi our whole lives as a great fighter, a revolutionary and a martyr. They assassinated him. It is another outrage," Chavez declared in Caracas late Thursday, as cited by The Global Post.  

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez described the killing of Gaddafi as a "murder," before slamming the US and its allies. "The story in Libya is just beginning," Ch?vez said. "The Yankee empire cannot master the world. The worst thing is that in their efforts to dominate the world, the empire and its allies are burning."

Chavez arrived back in Venezuela Thursday after medical tests in Cuba, which he claims have given him the all clear of the cancer he had. "I am free of illness," the Venezuelan President declared. "Chavez is back!"

Chavez was a great friend to Gaddafi when most of the world ostracized the Libyan leader. He has spoken out against US involvement in the African country in the past, denouncing the rebels as "terrorists" and describing Gaddafi as the "liberator of Libya."

Chavez has also said that he believes that NATO's sole aim in bombing the country was to seize its oil wealth.

"It's the excuse to intervene and seize a country and its riches," Chavez said. "We know what is going to happen: bombs, bombs, war, more suffering for the people. This is the hand of capitalism," adding that US "care nothing about the lives of the Libyan people."

Sitting on some of the world's biggest oil reserves himself, Chavez has expressed concern that Venezuela may be next, the Global Post pointed out. "They better not attempt to apply the Libyan formula to Venezuela or we'll have to show them our power."

Chavez was one of the few state leaders who continued to recognize only Gaddafi as Libya's sole legitimate leader even after the rebels took Tripoli two months ago.

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