International media speculation on the whereabouts and plans of Edward Snowden erupted over the past twenty-four hours as Snowden allegedly left Hong Kong on a commercial Aeroflot flight to Moscow.
WikiLeaks released a statement yesterday saying “[Snowden] is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.” The Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño Aroca, later tweeted that Snowden requested asylum in Ecuador. The Guardian, along with countless other news sources, reported that Snowden would likely fly from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, then on to Quito, Ecuador.
The Guardian, which has been posting live updates, stated this morning that Snowden did not show up for his scheduled flight from Moscow to Havana, Cuba. As of 14:00 his whereabouts are unknown.
Though many news sources believed Snowden might be headed for Iceland, the Icelandic government never received a formal request for asylum. The Icelandic government stated that normally an individual would need to be in Iceland to apply for asylum.
Icelandic MP Brigitta Jónsdóttir has stated she would support Snowden in seeking Icelandic citizenship, she tweeted yesterday, “It is important to note that Iceland has a terrible track record when it comes to granting political asylum to people seeking shelter, as it is hardly ever granted and thus too dangerous a path to be recommended for Snowden.”
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