JUST IN: Venezuela, Nicaragua offer asylum to intelligence leaker Edward Snowden

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) —

The presidents of Nicaragua and Venezuela have offered to grant asylum to US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.



The development comes one day after leftist South American leaders gathered to denounce the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales' plane over Europe amid reports that the American was aboard.



Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela made their offers during separate speeches in their home countries Friday afternoon.



Snowden has asked for asylum in numerous countries, including Nicaragua and Venezuela.



"As head of state, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden so that he can live (without) ... persecution from the empire," Maduro said, referring to the United States.



He made the offer during a speech marking the anniversary of Venezuela's independence.



It was not immediately clear if there were any conditions to Venezuela's offer.



In Nicaragua, Ortega said he was willing to make the same offer if circumstances allow it.



Ortega didn't say what the right circumstances would be when he spoke during a speech in Managua.



He said the Nicaraguan embassy in Moscow received Snowden's application for asylum and that it is studying the request.



"We have the sovereign right to help a person who felt remorse after finding out how the United States was using technology to spy on the whole world, and especially its European allies," Ortega said.



The offers came following a flap about the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales' plane in Europe earlier this week amid reports that Snowden might have been aboard.



Spain on Friday said it had been warned along with other European countries that Snowden, a former U.S. intelligence worker, was aboard the Bolivian presidential plane, an acknowledgement that the manhunt for the fugitive leaker had something to do with the plane's unexpected diversion to Austria.



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