Snowden 'arrives at Moscow airport from Hong Kong'

 

 

A plane believed to be carrying US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden has arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong, from where the US was seeking his extradition on charges of espionage.

There is speculation that he might fly on to another country.
Hong Kong said Washington had failed to meet the requirements for extradition.
Mr Snowden, an intelligence contractor, fled to Hong Kong in May after revealing details of internet and phone surveillance by US intelligence.
The Aeroflot Airbus, flight SU213, landed in Moscow at 17:10 local time (13:10 GMT).
The Russia 24 TV channel has said Mr Snowden does not have a Russian visa, so will stay in the airport overnight before flying to Cuba on Monday.
A source at the airline company was quoted as saying that, from Cuba, he would fly on to Venezuela. Both countries are believed unlikely to comply with any US extradition request.
There has also been speculation about Ecuador as a possible destination.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said a car from the Ecuadorean embassy in Moscow, bearing a national flag, was seen at the airport just as the plane arrived.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is currently sheltering in the Ecuadorean embassy in London after being granted asylum last year.
Wikileaks has issued a statement saying that it has helped to find Mr Snowden "political asylum in a democratic country".
'No legal basis' Mr Snowden's departure from Hong Kong casts further uncertainty over the prospect of him facing justice in the US.

On Saturday, the White House contacted Hong Kong to try to arrange his extradition. But the territory's administration, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the documents submitted by Washington did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law".

As a result, Hong Kong says it requested further information from the US government.
However, the statement goes on: "As the HKSAR Government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."
The US Justice Department has said it will seek cooperation from whichever country Mr Snowden arrives in.
"We will continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel," Nanda Chitre, a spokeswoman for the justice department said in a statement.
University of Hong Kong law professor Simon Young expressed surprise at the Hong Kong authorities' decision on extradition.
He said that under local law, a very low threshold is required before a provisional warrant can be put in place.
"The US government will wonder why the Hong Kong government feels the surrender paperwork needs to be fully in place before the provisional warrant can be obtained," he said.