NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden faces 30-years in prison after being charged with espionage and theft by U.S. government
- Snowden was charged in a federal court in Alexandria, Va. on Friday afternoon
- He faces 30 years for charges including unauthorized communication of national defense information and theft of government property
- U.S. officials have apparently asked Hong Kong to detain Snowden on a provisional arrest warrant
- But Snowden could be flown to Iceland from Hong Kong by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks
- Businessman linked to website said the 'plane could take off tomorrow'
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The Justice Department has charged former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden with espionage and theft of government property in the NSA surveillance case.
Snowden, believed to be holed up in Hong Kong, has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programs.
A one-page criminal complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Va., says Snowden engaged in unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been
charged with espionage and theft and U.S. officials are seeking his
extradition from Hong Kong
The federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia where the complaint was filed is headquarters for Snowden's former employer, government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.
The complaint is dated June 14, five days after Snowden's name first surfaced as the leaker of information about the two programs in which the NSA gathered telephone and Internet records to ferret out terror plots.
The complaint could become an integral part of a U.S. government effort to have Snowden extradited from Hong Kong, a process that could turn into a prolonged legal battle.
Snowden could contest extradition on grounds of political persecution. In general, the extradition agreement between the U.S. and Hong Kong excepts political offenses from the obligation to turn over a person.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed the charges. 'I've always thought this was a treasonous act,' he said in a statement. 'I hope Hong Kong's government will take him into custody and extradite him to the U.S.'
Helping hand: WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn
Hrafnsson, left, approached Iceland on behalf of Snowden and his
middleman. Julian Assange, right, also sought help from Iceland ahead of
Wikileaks' releases
IS ICELAND SAFE FOR SNOWDEN?
Iceland has a reputation for
promoting internet freedoms and has long been discussed as an option for Snowden.
As a U.S. citizen, Snowden would not need a visa to enter Iceland and could immediately apply for asylum. He would be free to live in Iceland while immigration authorities decide his case, which could take more than a year, experts have said.
But if Snowden wants to seek refuge in Iceland, he'll have to get there first. And this is where the U.S. could have a chance.
Interpol will sometimes issue a 'red notice' - which is like an international arrest warrant - but keep it sealed so that the person doesn't know it exists. If he tried to travel, he would be arrested at the airport.
If he did get to Iceland, it is unknown if he would be safe. The government of newly-elected Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson is believed to be closer to Washington than past administrations and less keen to foster the country's cyber-haven image.
'I would be very surprised if they (the government) would be eager to engage in any international disputes with the U.S. And it is pretty difficult to be granted asylum here,' Stefania Oskarsdottir, lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland, told Reuters. 'I think what this guy is saying is based on something he is imagining or hoping for rather than actual facts.'
Iceland does have an extradition treaty with the United States, but it is unclear if it would cover any crimes that he might be charged with.
As a U.S. citizen, Snowden would not need a visa to enter Iceland and could immediately apply for asylum. He would be free to live in Iceland while immigration authorities decide his case, which could take more than a year, experts have said.
But if Snowden wants to seek refuge in Iceland, he'll have to get there first. And this is where the U.S. could have a chance.
Interpol will sometimes issue a 'red notice' - which is like an international arrest warrant - but keep it sealed so that the person doesn't know it exists. If he tried to travel, he would be arrested at the airport.
If he did get to Iceland, it is unknown if he would be safe. The government of newly-elected Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson is believed to be closer to Washington than past administrations and less keen to foster the country's cyber-haven image.
'I would be very surprised if they (the government) would be eager to engage in any international disputes with the U.S. And it is pretty difficult to be granted asylum here,' Stefania Oskarsdottir, lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland, told Reuters. 'I think what this guy is saying is based on something he is imagining or hoping for rather than actual facts.'
Iceland does have an extradition treaty with the United States, but it is unclear if it would cover any crimes that he might be charged with.
'In my time, I felt the degree of cooperation was outstanding to the extent that I almost felt I was in an FBI field office,' said di Pretoro.
The U.S. and Hong Kong cooperate on law enforcement matters and have a standing agreement on the surrender of fugitives.
However, Snowden's appeal rights could drag out any extradition proceeding.
The success or failure of any extradition proceeding depends on what the suspect is charged with under U.S. law and how it corresponds to Hong Kong law under the treaty.
In order for Hong Kong officials to honor the extradition request, they have to have some applicable statute under their law that corresponds with a violation of U.S. law.
News of the charges broke on Friday evening, the same day it emerged that Snowden could be flown to Iceland from Hong Kong by the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.
A businessman connected to the controversial website said a chartered private jet is ready for the 30-year-old, who fled to Hong Kong after leaking U.S security details.
It comes after Iceland admitted holding talks with Snowden over the possibility of seeking political asylum.
Olafur Sigurvinsson, head of DataCell, which handles donations to Wikileaks, revealed details of the private jet.
Speaking to Channel2 television, he said: 'Everything is ready on our side and the plane could take off tomorrow.
'We have really done all we can do. We have a plane and all the logistics in place.'
The jet is believed to belong to a Chinese firm and has been chartered at a cost of $240,000.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange revealed on Wednesday he had been in contact with Snowden's representatives to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland.
The former US government contractor fled to Hong Kong on May 20 after leaking National Security Agency programs.
It also emerged that a contractor for the National Security Agency found possible discrepancies in a resume submitted by Edward Snowden, but the company still employed him, a source said on Thursday.
Snowden was hired this spring after he convinced his hiring screeners at Booz Allen Hamilton, that his description of his education was truthful.
It is unclear precisely which element of Snowden's resume caused personnel officials at Booz Allen Hamilton to raise questions about his background. Also unclear is how he satisfied their concerns.
Booz Allen Hamilton has said in a statement that 'we will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.'
Snowden fled his home in Hawaii, where he worked for NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, after exposing the U.S. government's top surveillance secrets. He is at a secret location in Hong Kong.
In a column in Icelandic daily newspaper Frettabladid, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson wrote that a middleman had approached him on behalf of Snowden.
'On 2 June, I received a message from Edward Snowden where he asked me to notify the Icelandic government that he wanted to seek asylum in Iceland,' Hrafnsson, who is also an investigative journalist in Iceland, told Reuters.
Support: Snowden's image is displayed in Hong Kong, where the whistleblower is currently in hiding
The Icelandic government, which has refused to say whether they would grant asylum to Snowden, confirmed it had received the message from Hrafnsson.
'Kristinn Hrafnsson has contacted two ministries in an informal way but not the ministers,' a government spokesman said. 'There has been no formal approach in this matter.'
Hrafnsson would not identify who the middleman was.
Snowden has previously mentioned Iceland as a possible refuge.
Iceland has a reputation for promoting Internet freedoms, but Snowden has said did not travel there immediately from the United States as he feared the country could be pressured by Washington.
'Iceland could be pushed harder, quicker, before the public could have a chance to make their feelings known, and I would not put that past the current U.S. administration,' Snowden said in an online forum in the Guardian on Monday.
It had been suggested that he would actually flee to the Icelandic consulate in Hong Kong, rather than risking boarding a plane to fly there in person.
Safety: Iceland has a reputation for promoting internet freedoms. Reykjavik is pictured
'The main stipulation for seeking asylum in Iceland would be that the person must be in Iceland to start the process,' said Johannes Tomasson, the chief spokesman for Iceland's Ministry of Interior in Reykjavik.
'That would be the ground rule No. 1.'
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over allegations of sex crimes, visited Iceland several times in the run-up to some of the website's major releases.
Assange denies any wrongdoing.
Yet some experts added that Iceland might not be as welcoming as Snowden hopes.
The government of newly-elected Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson has not been tested in relation to these cases, but is believed to be closer to Washington than past administrations and less keen to foster the country's cyber-haven image.
'I would be very surprised if they (the government) would be eager to engage in any international disputes with the U.S. And it is pretty difficult to be granted asylum here,' Stefania Oskarsdottir, lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland, told Reuters.
'I think what this guy is saying is based on something he is imagining or hoping for rather than actual facts.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2346247/Edward-Snowdon-NSA-whistleblower-faces-30-years-prison-charged-espionage-theft-U-S-government.html#ixzz2WvcuAqrJ
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