Plan B Forum

Edward Snowden, the former US intelligence contractor who leaked classified documents revealing US internet and phone surveillance, has asked Ecuador for asylum.

The request was confirmed by Ecuador's foreign minister on Twitter.

Mr Snowden had fled the US for Hong Kong but flew out on Sunday morning and is currently in Moscow.

A US extradition request to Hong Kong failed but Washington insists he should now be denied international travel.

The US justice department has called Hong Kong's decision not to arrest Mr Snowden "troubling".

On Sunday, a US official said Washington had contacted "Western Hemisphere" nations that Mr Snowden might travel to, or through.

"The US is advising these governments that Snowden is wanted on felony charges, and as such should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him to the United States," the state department official said.

Earlier, Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, who is in Vietnam, said on Twitter: "The Government of Ecuador has received an asylum request from Edward J. #Snowden."

Senator Feinstein on CBS News: "I thought China would see this as an opportunity to improve US ties"

Wikileaks said in a statement that Mr Snowden was "bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from Wikileaks".

Ecuador is already giving political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has been sheltering in its London embassy for the past year.

In short he does well if he's viewed as a patriot defending our rights or he does poorly if he's viewed as an anti-American rubbing our noses in our failure to live up to our ideals.

Rick wrote:Sue if he violated his clearance they take that very seriously, even if the overall program may be public knowledge…

The US has criticised Russia and China after fugitive Edward Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow.

President Barack Obama said the US was pursuing "all the appropriate legal channels" in pursuit of him.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said it would be "disappointing" if Russia and China had helped him evade an attempt to extradite him.

Mr Snowden, who has applied for asylum in Ecuador, is believed to still be in Russia having flown there on Sunday.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said he did not believe Hong Kong's reasons for letting him leave.

The US has revoked Mr Snowden's passport, and he is thought to have spent the night in an airside hotel at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. [we changed planes there last trip home.]
On Monday, a seat was booked in his name on a flight to Cuba, but he was not seen on board when it took off.

The 30-year-old IT expert is wanted by the US for revealing to the media details of a secret government surveillance programme, which he obtained while working as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).

He is charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Crackpot wrote:The rule of law states that he must be charged. He broke the law and it should be up to a jury of his peers if his actions were justified. I personally think he was. But I also think his flight from prosecution does nothing to for his image. At the moment It is going to be a hard sale to give Snowden anything more than a slap on the wrist for his actions. However the more of an international issue he makes of it and the more chances he gives our enimies to thumb their noses at us the more he erodes the general goodwill he eenjoys.

In short he does well if he's viewed as a patriot defending our rights or he does poorly if he's viewed as an anti-American rubbing our noses in our failure to live up to our ideals.

Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden is still in the transit area at Moscow airport, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has confirmed.

Mr Putin said the intelligence leaker remained a free man, and the sooner he chose a destination the better.

But a White House spokeswoman said Russia had a "clear legal basis" to expel Mr Snowden.

Because Mr Snowden is in the airport's pre-immigration area, he is technically not yet in Russian territory.

The Russians have rejected American charges that they have assisted Mr Snowden.

China has also rejected similar charges, saying accusations that it allowed him to leave Hong Kong despite a warrant for his arrest were "groundless and unacceptable".