Edward Snowden, the man who leaked information on the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance programs, has officially been charged by federal prosecutors. The government is asking Hong Kong to detain him.
The Washington Post, which first broke the news Friday night, reports that the criminal complaint was filed in Eastern District of Virginia, the district where his former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, has its headquarters. The complaint lists the charges against Snowden, 30, as “unauthorized communication of national defense information,” “willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person” and theft.
The Justice Department would not comment on the reports.
According to USA Today, espionage charges could bring a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The U.S. has an extradition treaty with Hong Kong, but it doesn’t cover political offences like espionage. In addition, the Associated Press is reporting that Hong Kong lawmakers are going to seek final approval from the Chinese government on Snowden’s fate.
Snowden allowed the British newspaper the Guardian to identify him as the person who leaked details on the NSA’s requests for phone records and its Internet tracking program PRISM. The government has been defending these programs, with the NSA director telling Congress this week that over 50 terrorist plots since 9/11 have been stopped thanks to surveillance programs.