In what sounds like the plot of Hollywood’s next globe-trotting action film, Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker who has officially been charged with espionage, is on the loose and the American government is trying to stop him. His last known location was Moscow and he was reportedly going to Cuba, but was not on a plane to Havana.
On Friday night, the U.S. government officially issued charges of espionage and asked Hong Kong to detain him until he was extradited. That didn’t happen and Wikileaks announced that it was helping Snowden leave Hong Kong for Russia. Snowden was expected to be taking a flight to Cuba, with Ecuador being his final destination.
According to The New York Times, Snowden, who has not been pictured since arriving in Moscow, was not on the plane that he had reportedly reserved a ticket for. An Aeroflot airline employee told the Times that he was not onboard.
Snowden’s travels have already tested the U.S.’ relationship with China and now it is testing the bond with Russia. The Washington Post reports that the Russian government said that it didn’t have a legal authority to expel him. If Snowden, who doesn’t have a Russian visa, never leaves the airport, he is not technically on Russian soil. Russia also doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the U.S.
In addition, President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary said that they have no knowledge of Snowden’s movements, notes the Chicago Tribune.
Snowden, 29, was the man who leaked information on the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, which the American government has been forced to defend since they went public.