Edward Snowden will ask Russia for asylum, for now

The NSA leaker also claims he has offers from Latin America

Edward Snowden
(Image credit: Associated Press)

Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker who has ensconced himself at the Moscow airport to avoid U.S. authorities, indicated Friday that he would ask Russia for asylum while working out a longer-term solution to his situation.

Snowden, who snuck off to Hong Kong and then Russia to escape prosecution back home, has hoped to find a sympathetic country willing to offer him indefinite protection. Yet tangled international politics and tricky travel logistics have kept him grounded in an international transit zone at Sheremetyevo Airport, where he has remained out of the reach of the U.S. without technically setting foot on Russian soil.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.