NSA leaker facing extradition
Published:Sunday | June 23, 2013 | 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON (AP):The United States (US) Justice Department has charged former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden with espionage and theft of government property in the ongoing 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 programmes.
A one-page criminal complaint unsealed Friday in a federal court says Snowden engaged in unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence information.
Both are charges under the Espionage Act. Snowden is also charged with theft of government property. All three crimes carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.
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 programmes in which the NSA gathered telephone and Internet records to ferret out terror plots.
The complaint could become an integral part of a US government effort to have Snowden extradited from Hong Kong, a process that could turn into a prolonged legal battle.
may Contest Extradition
Snowden could contest extradition on grounds of political persecution. In general, the extradition agreement between the US and Hong Kong excepts political offences from the obligation to turn over a person.
It was unclear up to yesterday whether the US had made an extradition request.
Hong Kong legislators said the Chinese government should make the final decision on whether Snowden should be extradited to the United States.
Outspoken legislator Leung Kwok-hung said Beijing should instruct Hong Kong to protect Snowden from extradition before his case gets dragged through the court system.
Leung also urged the people of Hong Kong to "take to the streets to protect Snowden".