Snowden could find shelter in Hong Kong

The United States is braced for a drawn-out effort to capture the rogue spy who dramatically exposed its domestic surveillance apparatus, as President Barack Obama was urged to prosecute him for treason.

Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old intelligence contractor, was seeking asylum after apparently leaving a hotel in Hong Kong, where he leaked top secret documents on the National Security Agency (NSA) to the media.

“The only thing I can do is sit here and hope the Hong Kong government does not deport me,” Mr. Snowden told The Guardian, while suggesting that he could alternatively seek protection in Iceland.

Senior congressmen accused Mr. Snowden of inflicting a historic blow to U.S. intelligence and providing assistance to al-Qaeda, by disclosing the government’s telephone and online spying methods. Some former intelligence officials even accused him of being a Chinese agent.

“The United States government must prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law and begin extradition proceedings at the earliest date,” said Peter King, a Republican congressman for New York and chairman of the House homeland security committee.

John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused Mr. Snowden of “the worst form of treason” and joined mounting calls to see him prosecuted under the Espionage Act of 1917.

“This man is a liar,” said Mr. Bolton. “He took an oath to keep the secrets that were shared with him so he could do his job. He said he would not disclose them, and he lied.”

The Department of Justice is believed to have opened an investigation. FBI officials were seen entering the home in Pennsylvania, of Lonnie Snowden, the leaker’s father.

Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, declined to discuss “this individual or this investigation”.

Mr. Snowden’s disclosures also raised questions about the corporate outsourcing of U.S. intelligence operations over the past decade. More than half the 25,000 staff of Booz Allen, his employer, hold government security clearances.

Bob Baer, a former CIA officer, said: “The process has just been a great wealth transfer to the private sector. And I hate the systems they’ve built because they never caught a terrorist.”

The whistleblower, who worked at Booz Allen’s Hawaii office, claimed that Hong Kong had a “spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent”, despite continuing crackdowns in mainland China.

Experts said that he had placed himself under threat of ultimately being returned to the U.S. by choosing to station himself in a territory that has a 17-year-old extradition treaty with Washington.

However, he could benefit greatly from Hong Kong’s asylum system having been in limbo since a landmark court ruling was made there in March this year.

Its court of final appeal ruled that the Hong Kong government, which previously depended on rulings by the United Nations refugee authorities, must establish its own asylum screening process.

Because no system has yet been implemented, an application from Mr. Snowden would face lengthy delays, buying him time to consider his next move while probably blocking any attempt to deport him.

The Chinese government, which has controlled Hong Kong since its return from Britain, appears entitled to veto any deportation that would impact its “defence, foreign affairs or essential public interest”.

Mr. Baer said some U.S. intelligence officials suspected Chinese involvement in Mr. Snowden’s leaks and feared that Beijing would ultimately thwart U.S. attempts to capture him.