Confusion over Snowden’s acceptance of Venezuela offer

MOSCOW — National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden accepted Venezuela’s offer of political asylum, according to a posting yesterday on the Twitter account of a Russian lawmaker with close ties to the Kremlin. However, the tweet disappeared a few minutes later.

Mr Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, could not be immediately reached at press time. He has previously acted as an unofficial point man for the Kremlin on the Snowden affair.

He subsequently posted a message saying the claim was based on a report by state television channel Vesti. But the report was not on Vesti’s website and the TV channel was unavailable for comment.

Snowden, a former NSA systems analyst, is charged with violating United States espionage laws after he revealed details of a US intelligence programme to monitor Internet activity. He came to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on June 23 and was believed to be headed for Cuba. But he did not board that flight and has not been seen publicly since.

He is widely believed to be in the airport’s transit zone.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said on Saturday his country had not yet been in contact with Snowden, who has been unable to travel further because the US has annulled his passport. The Presidents of Bolivia and Nicaragua have said that Snowden is welcome in their countries.

It is unclear how Snowden would be able to leave for South America as he would need Venezuela to issue him travel documents and the flight would risk passing through European airspace. Last week, Bolivian President Evo Morales’ flight home from Moscow was aborted after several European countries refused him access. AGENCIES