National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said early this morning that the U.S. expects Russia “to look at all options available to expel Mr. Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged.”
That is, “given our intensified cooperation after the Boston marathon bombings and our history of working with Russia on law enforcement matters.”
Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia “to live by the standards of the law.”
RIA Novosti reported today that NSA leaker Edward Snowden “had checked in for a flight to Havana at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Monday,” but “apparently did not make it aboard the plane, which had been sold out and was packed with journalists.”
Moscow’s airport offers no direct flights to Ecuador, though WikiLeaks indicated it would be using a secretive route to get Snowden to Quito.
Russian officials won’t confirm or deny Snowden’s presence in Moscow and Ecuador’s foreign minister said they don’t know where he is either.
A Kremlin spokesman told journalists that he first heard about Snowden landing in Moscow from the media.
The Ecuadoran newspaper Hoy reported Sunday that Snowden had received a checkup from embassy doctors after arriving in Moscow.
Meanwhile, the NSC is still saving some of its wrath for Hong Kong for letting Snowden slip away.
“We are disappointed by the decision of the authorities in Hong Kong to permit Mr. Snowden to flee despite the legally valid U.S. request to arrest him for purposes of his extradition under the U.S.-Hong Kong Surrender Agreement,” Hayden said.
“We have registered our strong objections to the authorities in Hong Kong as well as to the Chinese government through diplomatic channels and noted that such behavior is detrimental to U.S.-Hong Kong and U.S.-China bilateral relations.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member