US stops tracking terrorists... thanks to Snowden leaks

THE US secret service has been left without its antiterror surveillance powers for at least two days by an extraordinary Senate row.

Existing legislation that allows spymasters to snoop on ‘lone wolf’ suspects expired early yesterday and will not be renewed until late today at the earliest.

The crisis has been triggered by leaks made by fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden and led the head of the CIA to warn of an increased risk of a terrorist attack.

If new laws can be agreed, they will as a result of Snowden’s leaks be a watered-down version of the surveillance powers granted in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Attempts to renew the legislation at the weekend were thwarted by Right-wing Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul.

‘Political grandstanding’

He used Senate procedures to prevent the laws being passed in time, to the disgust of many fellow Republicans. As a result, the National Security Agency – which works closely with British security services – can no longer bulk collect communications data in order to investigate suspected terror plots, use ‘roving wiretaps’ to keep tracking suspects as they switch phones or track of suspects of whom they have no evidence linking them to a foreign power or terrorist group.

Legislators are now hurrying to pass a new Freedom Act. But this will ban bulk data collection – a practice exposed by Snowden – without prior court approval.

John Brennan, the head of the CIA, criticised Snowden and Mr Paul, saying the public had been put at risk by ‘ political grandstanding and crusading for ideo- logical causes’. He said: ‘I think terrorist elements have watched very carefully what has happened here in t he United States, whether or not it’s disclosures of classified information or whether it’s changes in the law and policies. They are l ooking f or the seams to operate within.

‘This is something that we can’t afford to do right now, because if you look at the horrific terrorist attacks and violence that is being perpetrated around the globe, we need to keep our country safe. Our oceans are not keeping us safe the way they did a century ago.’

Snowden has created widespread chaos for security officials in Britain and the US. The heads of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ say the traitor’s revelations of their techniques have made it far harder to track suspects.