NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has a warrant for his arrest in Iceland, and would likely be captured and extradited to the US if he ever set foot here, his lawyer says.
As many are probably aware, when Edward Snowden first went on the run from US authorities, he named Iceland among other countries as a possible destination for asylum. He is now residing in Russia.
RÚV now reports that even if Snowden made it here, he would not be treated as a welcome guest – in fact, he would likely be arrested and deported.
Ragnar Aðalsteinsson, a lawyer for Snowden in Iceland, told reporters that this is made plain in official documents he obtained from the Ministry of the Interior. Ragnar is listed as the defending attorney in these documents, and Snowden is called the defendant. This, Ragnar says, makes the Icelandic government’s position on Snowden fairly clear.
Ragnar added that while the ministry should have and could have rejected an extradition request from the US, on the grounds that it did not fulfill the conditions for extradition, the ministry opted instead to process the request. He believes it is likely that, if Snowden did come to Iceland, he would be arrested and deported to the US.
For the moment, though, Snowden does not appear to be going anywhere.
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