Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Iceland businessman says plane ready for NSA leaker Snowden

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden left transit zone of a Moscow airport and entered Russia after authorities granted him temporary asylum, his lawyer said Thursday.
An Icelandic business executive says a private plane is on standby to transport NSA secrets leaker Edward Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland. A WikiLeaks spokesman earlier this week, who claims to represent Snowden, has asked government officials in Iceland about the potential of Snowden applying for asylum in the Nordic country.
(
The Guardian
)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

An Icelandic business executive says a private plane is on standby to transport NSA secrets leaker Edward Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland.
    
Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson said Friday that while he has not spoken directly with Edward Snowden, he has been in touch with a third party representing him. The businessman has connections to the WikiLeaks secret-spilling organization.
    
Sigurvinsson says he has access to planes in Hong Kong and mainland China.
    
But Iceland's government says it has not received an asylum request from Snowden, who has revealed his role in providing secret U.S. National Security Agency documents.
    
Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Tomasson says Snowden hasn't approached the ministry and an asylum request could only begin if Snowden is in Iceland.
    
U.S. officials have expressed an interest in prosecuting Snowden.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today