The US Government has filed criminal charges against the whistleblower who leaked large amounts of documents about top-secret surveillance programs.  The charges include theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person. The former National Security Agency contractor is currently in hiding in Hong Kong and according to US officials, the United States has asked Hong Kong to detain Snowden on a provisional arrest warrant. 

Earlier this month Snowden created a public uproar by leaking secret documents about various classified US surveillance programs. The documents disclosed detailed US telephone and Internet surveillance systems to the Washington Post and the Guardian newspaper. 

SEE ALSO: Former NSA Officials Approve Edward Snowden's Whistleblowing

Many predict that these initial charges are the beginning of what will be a long legal battle to extradite Snowden from Hong Kong and try him in the US. According to a US law enforcement official, the US and Hong Kong have "excellent cooperation" and as a result of agreements, "there is an active extradition relationship between Hong Kong and the United States."

On Thursday an Icelandic businessman affiliated with WikiLeaks said he had prepared a private plane in China to fly Snowden to Iceland if Iceland's government would grant asylum. Iceland refused to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden.

SEE ALSO: U.S. charges Snowden with espionage

 

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