Private plane on standby to fly Snowden to Iceland
Source: Agencies |
01:09 UTC+8 June 22, 2013
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AN Icelandic business executive said yesterday that a private plane is on standby to transport US National Security Agency secrets leaker Edward Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland.
Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson said he had not spoken directly with Snowden but had been in touch with a third party representing him.
The businessman, who has connections to the WikiLeaks secret-spilling organization, said he has access to planes in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong that Snowden could use.
But Iceland's government says it has not received a request for asylum from Snowden, who has revealed his role in providing secret NSA documents about widespread surveillance programs.
Iceland Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Tomasson said yesterday Snowden hadn't approached the ministry but could initiate an asylum request if he was already in Iceland.
When asked about the reports of Sigurvinsson chartering a private plane to fly Snowden to Iceland, Tomasson said: "We don't object to that. But we don't have any knowledge other than what has been in the news. We can't comment any further."
US officials have expressed an interest in prosecuting Snowden for his role in the publication of the documents. Snowden fled to Hong Kong and is hiding.
Sigurvinsson said Snowden's potential private flight was being funded by private donations.
"There are a number of people that are interested in freedom of speech and recognize the importance of knowing who is spying on us," he said. "We are people that care about privacy."
Money is being raised on Snowden's behalf by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee based in the United States, but it was not immediately clear if any of these funds would be used for the flight.
Sigurvinsson is a former director of DataCell, a data hosting service provider that processed donations for WikiLeaks.
He said his group hopes to obtain Icelandic citizenship for Snowden. "We are hoping that the government does what they did with Bobby Fischer," he said, referring to the late chess master who went to Iceland to escape US prosecution for breaking sanctions imposed on the former Yugoslavia.
(AP)
Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson said he had not spoken directly with Snowden but had been in touch with a third party representing him.
The businessman, who has connections to the WikiLeaks secret-spilling organization, said he has access to planes in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong that Snowden could use.
But Iceland's government says it has not received a request for asylum from Snowden, who has revealed his role in providing secret NSA documents about widespread surveillance programs.
Iceland Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Tomasson said yesterday Snowden hadn't approached the ministry but could initiate an asylum request if he was already in Iceland.
When asked about the reports of Sigurvinsson chartering a private plane to fly Snowden to Iceland, Tomasson said: "We don't object to that. But we don't have any knowledge other than what has been in the news. We can't comment any further."
US officials have expressed an interest in prosecuting Snowden for his role in the publication of the documents. Snowden fled to Hong Kong and is hiding.
Sigurvinsson said Snowden's potential private flight was being funded by private donations.
"There are a number of people that are interested in freedom of speech and recognize the importance of knowing who is spying on us," he said. "We are people that care about privacy."
Money is being raised on Snowden's behalf by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee based in the United States, but it was not immediately clear if any of these funds would be used for the flight.
Sigurvinsson is a former director of DataCell, a data hosting service provider that processed donations for WikiLeaks.
He said his group hopes to obtain Icelandic citizenship for Snowden. "We are hoping that the government does what they did with Bobby Fischer," he said, referring to the late chess master who went to Iceland to escape US prosecution for breaking sanctions imposed on the former Yugoslavia.
(AP)
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