Russian Minister Says Snowden Not On Its Soil

Snowden Affair: The Who And The Why

Updated: 5:06pm UK, Monday 24 June 2013

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

A look at the different players in the Edward Snowden controversy as the whistleblower tries to evade US justice.

China

There's no hard evidence that China has played a role in this affair but it's difficult to argue against the idea.

Beijing had a man and had a problem. The problem was that hanging on to Mr Snowden could damage its relationship with Washington DC which is its biggest foreign policy challenge.

If it had done, a long-running dispute over the issue would mean that relationship would be complicated.

Now it doesn't have a man, it doesn't have problem, and has been able to poke the US in the eye without leaving much of a fingerprint.

It can also claim the somewhat dubious moral high ground, arguing that Mr Snowden's revelations proved that the Americans, who have long complained about Chinese hacking, was in fact spying on China.

China may have granted Hong Kong more autonomy than most of its regions, but foreign policy remains in Beijing's hands.

And it is almost certain China and Hong Kong liaised to smooth the path of Mr Snowden out of their jurisdiction.

Hong Kong

The only quandary for the Hong Kong authorities was how to keep up appearances.

This was a legal matter which quickly turned into a geo political struggle.

It had to preserve its dignity and the rule of law, but also make sure that what Beijing wanted, Beijing got.

Hence the repeated response to the Americans that the case was 'under review' and that more paperwork was needed.

In fact, very little paperwork was required, not even a valid passport. Mr Snowden travelled out of Hong Kong with a revoked passport.

Russia

The Kremlin says it is 'unaware' of any contact with the Russian authorities and Mr Snowden.

However, the idea that Aeroflot would allow a former American spy, whose name was making global headlines, onto one of their flights bound for Moscow, on a revoked passport, without a Russian visa, does not tally with the way the world works.

That Ecuador may have given him a 'travel document' is just part of the pretence.

Moscow is also busy poking Washington DC in the eye, whilst maintaining a modicum of 'not me guv'.

Mr Snowden did not leave Moscow's airport, thus allowing the pretence of him not passing through a border.

Cuba

If Mr Snowden was passing through Cuba, it does not present Havana with a dilemma.

A transit trip would not sour Washington-Havana relations any more than they already are.

Were he to stay there, that would be a different matter. He was checked in for a flight from Moscow to Havana, had a seat, but the plane left, apparently without him.

Venezuela

Hugo Chavez may be gone but the spirit of his 'Bolivarian Revolution' lives on.

Just last month the successor to Chavez, President Nicolas Maduro, referred to Barack Obama as 'the grand chief of devils'. 

Venezuela is part of the Bolivarian Alliance which includes Cuba, and Bolivia, the country named after the 18th century revolutionary Simon Bolivar.

Members tend to be 'anti-imperialist' and take a delight in tweaking the nose of the US and its perceived global arrogance.

Venezuela can handle the heat of allowing Snowden to transit through its territory; after all, despite the rhetoric between Caracas and Washington DC, the US buys 900,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil every day.

Ecuador

Ecuador is also in the Bolivarian Alliance and President Rafael Correa has impeccable 'anti-imperialist' credentials having granted Wikileaks founder Julian Assange asylum in his country and refuge in the London embassy until Mr Assange can get there.

So far Ecuador is assessing Mr Snowden's asylum request.

As he is an American citizen this case if even more sensitive than the Assange affair, and Ecuador, a poverty stricken country has fewer cards to play than Venezuela.

The signs are it will stay within the spirit of the Bolivarian bloc, and keep quiet about its own trampling over the basic tenets of free speech.

The US

Fail.

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Wimbledon: Fans Hit Out Over Empty Seats

A row has broken out over the number of empty seats on the main courts at Wimbledon on the first day of the championships.

Swathes of unoccupied seats were shown on television with many blaming the number of tickets set aside for sponsors.

Sports personality Gary Lineker vented his frustration on Twitter: "Lots of empty seats on centre court. Corporate lethargy no doubt.

"What a waste of tickets so many could give their right arm for #wimbledon."

Tennis fan Neil Harris tweeted: "Please can someone explain to me as if I'm a 2 year old why there are empty seats at #Wimbledon2013 yet can't buy ticket to save my life!"

Andy Murray on his way to an easy win

Impatient4Evita added: "Seems Wimbledon tickets have been wasted on businesses & sponsors, empty seats because they can't be bothered turning up. Sound familiar?"

The criticisms echoed those last summer over the number of vacant seats at the London Olympics.

Organisers the All England Club played down the backlash, saying supporters would naturally leave their seats to get refreshments at what is an all-day event.

Crowds began flocking to SW19 as early as Saturday in the hope of watching the British number 1 Andy Murray in action.

Pippa and James Middleton watched the play on Centre Court

But such was the demand that even fans who joined the queue on Sunday afternoon were disappointed.

NHS worker Elaine Williams, 55, from Birmingham, who queued with her husband Les for the 10th year running, said: "There are a lot more people here than in previous years.

"We normally arrive at the same time - around 4.30am - and we were absolutely gob-smacked when we got here this time."

An estimated 8,000 tickets were handed out on Monday morning for before the queue closed at 7.45am - the earliest time ever, according to organisers.

Rafael Nadal waves to fans after crashing out of the men's singles

Those lucky enough to get tickets for Centre Court were not disappointed. They saw Murray cruise into the second round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win over German Benjamin Becker.

His victory came after French Open winner Rafael Nadal made a shock exit from the tournament, losing in straight sets to the Belgian player Steve Darcis.

Murray was watched by a number of high-profile tennis fans including the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Middleton, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

Heather Watson and Laura Robson will be leading the charge for Britain on Tuesday, with world number 1 Serena Williams also in action.

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Moors Murderer Brady: '12 Warders Attacked Me'

Ian Brady has told his mental health tribunal he went on hunger strike after being "attacked" by 12 warders where he had his wrist broken.

The Moors Murderer, 75, recalled he was in his room and heard chanting of "do not resist". He said the warders were dressed in riot gear and balaclavas and held him down for an hour.

He said he was moved by the riot gear staff and then the next day - September 30, 1999 - began his hunger strike.

Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie and his customary dark glasses, Brady is speaking at length in public for the first time since 1966 as he attempts to be transferred from a high-security hospital to prison.

Brady said it would be "easy" to cope in jail if he was kept locked up 24 hours a day and kept apart from other prisoners.

The child killer, speaking in a low, halting Scottish accent, is giving evidence to a tribunal sitting at Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside where he has been held for 28 years.

Brady described his life behind bars, how he enjoys "eclectic, freewheeling conversation", how he studied German and psychology and how he walks up and down in his cell reciting Shakespeare and Plato.

Brady said he set up a braille unit and also worked as a barber at Wormwood Scrubs in the 1970s.

Asked by his lawyer Nathalie Lieven QC about relations with staff and patients at Ashworth, Brady said he enjoyed conversations about "everything".

He said: "Eclectic, I can't stand robotic, feeble, whether psychologists or just ordinary people, if I think they are just going through a list of check points.

Brady is one of Britain's most notorious killers

"Eclectic, free wheeling conversation. I don't choose the subjects. That's what I enjoy."

Sky's Tom Parmenter said: "He was asked his mental health which is crucial to the hearing because it is his claim that he should not be in a high-security hospital but instead an ordinary prison.

"He was asked about talking to himself in jail, and he said when he was in solitary confinement he would memorise the pages of Shakespeare or Plato and then recite them in his cell.

"He said if he drops a glasses case in a corridor and mutters to himself that would be seized by an opportunistic member of staff and used as evidence. But he also said at the tribunal 'Who doesn't talk to themselves?'"

Brady also made reference to his notoriety as a prisoner, saying the media and the public are still interested in the case.

He said: "They (public and media) are obsessed with the case. Why are they still talking about Jack the Ripper, after a century?

"It fascinates them so, the dramatic background, the fog, cobbled streets. The moors is the same thing... Wuthering Heights, Hound Of The Baskervilles."

The last time Brady spoke so publicly was in court in Chester when he was convicted 47 years ago and jailed for life for three murders.

Brady, who has been on hunger strike since 1999, has previously said he wants to starve himself to death in jail where he cannot be force fed.

Currently, he is fed through a tube in his nose, although the panel heard on Monday he is actually eating other foods and makes himself toast every morning.

Myra Hindley was also convicted of child killings

Since 2002 Brady has repeatedly asked for a public hearing which he said would provide "true independence", the tribunal has heard.

His legal team say he has a severe narcissistic personality disorder but is not mentally ill and could be treated in prison rather than hospital.

But Ashworth say Brady is still chronically mentally ill and remains a paranoid schizophrenic who needs around-the-clock care.

He has refused medication and therapy for his mental disorders since 2000 as he is "wholly resistant" to any treatment and now tries to hide his mental illness, the tribunal panel was told.

Brady and his partner, Myra Hindley, were convicted of luring children and teenagers to their deaths, with their victims sexually tortured before being buried on Saddleworth Moor.

Pauline Reade, 16, disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12, 1963, and John Kilbride, 12, was snatched in November the same year.

Keith Bennett was taken on June 16, 1964, after he left home to visit his grandmother; Lesley Ann Downey, 10, was lured away from a funfair on Boxing Day 1964; and Edward Evans, 17, was killed in October 1965.

Brady was given life for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward.

Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann and Edward and shielding Brady after John's murder, and jailed for life.

Both later confessed to the murders of Pauline - whose body was found in 1987 - and Keith whose body has not been discovered.

Hindley died in hospital, still a prisoner, in November 2002 at the age of 60.

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Lawrence 'Smear Plot': Cameron Wants Inquiry

The Prime Minister has said he wants an immediate investigation into claims the Metropolitan Police carried out an operation to "smear" the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.

The claims emerged in an interview with a former undercover police officer.

Peter Francis said he was told to find "dirt" that could be used against members of the Lawrence family, shortly after the 18-year-old was killed in a racist attack in April 1993, The Guardian reported.

He was also asked to target the friend who witnessed the murder and campaigners angry at the failure to bring his killers to justice, the newspaper said.

Downing Street said David Cameron was "deeply concerned" about the allegations and wants them looked into.

Home Secretary Theresa May is expected to make a statement on the claims in the House of Commons at around 3-3.30pm this afternoon.

Doreen Lawrence said the revelation 'tops' everything she knows

The Home Office has said the claims will be investigated by a team already looking into other possible abuses of responsibility carried out by undercover officers.

Derbyshire's Chief Constable Mick Creedon is heading an inquiry into claims police officers assumed the identities of dead children and had inappropriate sexual relationships.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We expect the highest standards of professionalism in all aspects of policing.

"That is why Chief Constable Mick Creedon is leading an IPCC-supervised investigation which will ensure any criminality or misconduct is properly dealt with. We would strongly encourage anyone with relevant information to speak to the investigation team.

"We have already announced our intention to legislate to ensure the independent Office of Surveillance Commissioners will provide enhanced judicial oversight of all undercover police deployments."

The teenager's death sparked a change in how race crimes are investigated

Mr Lawrence's mother, Doreen, told The Guardian that there was no justification for efforts to discredit her family following her son's murder.

Scotland Yard said it recognised the seriousness of the allegations and shared the concerns of the Lawrence family.

"The Met must balance the genuine public interest in these matters with its duty to protect officers and former officers who have been deployed undercover, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances," a spokesman said.

"At some point it will fall upon this generation of police leaders to account for the activities of our predecessors, but for the moment we must focus on getting to the truth."

The claims have surfaced as a result of a joint investigation into undercover policing by The Guardian and Channel 4's Dispatches programme, to be broadcast this evening.

Mr Francis, who reportedly posed as an anti-racist activist in the mid-1990s, said he came under "huge and constant pressure" to "hunt for disinformation" to undermine those arguing for a better investigation into the murder.

He told The Guardian: "I had to get any information on what was happening in the Stephen Lawrence campaign.

"They wanted the campaign to stop. It was felt it was going to turn into an elephant.

"Throughout my deployment there was almost constant pressure on me personally to find out anything I could that would discredit these campaigns."

Mr Lawrence, an aspiring architect, was stabbed to death by a group of up to six white youths in an unprovoked racist attack as he waited at a bus stop in Eltham, southeast London.

In January 2012, Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of being involved in the attack and sentenced to life imprisonment after a forensic review of the case found significant new scientific evidence on clothing seized from their homes following the murder.

During the 19 year wait for justice by the family, there was a campaign by activists for more to be done to bring Stephen's killers to justice.

Responding to Mr Francis' claims, Mrs Lawrence told the Guardian: "Out of all the things I've found out over the years, this certainly has topped it."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described Mr Francis' claims as "shocking and appalling" and called for the Home Secretary to seek a faster investigation into his specific allegations.

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Alps Killings: Al Hilli Brother Arrested

A man has been arrested over the murder of three members of his family and a cyclist who were shot dead in the Alps, according to Sky sources.

Zaid al Hilli, 54, was held by Surrey Police, who have been investigating the deaths of husband and wife Saad and Ikbal al Hilli, Mrs al Hilli's mother Suhaila al Allaf and cyclist Sylvain Mollier.

The suspect - Saad al Hilli's brother - was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder at an address in Chessington at around 7.30am, police said.

Surrey Police said the arrest was pre-planned and the result of ongoing inquiries.

The four victims were gunned down near Annecy in the French Alps in September last year.

The couple's two young daughters, aged seven and four at the time, survived the attack on the family's estate car.

Older sibling Zainab was shot in the shoulder and hit in the head by her attacker, but recovered from her injuries.

Her four-year-old sister Zeena survived by hiding under her mother's skirt in the back seat of the vehicle for eight hours.

Police believe Mr Mollier was an innocent bystander, killed because he was passing at the time of the attack on the family.

Surrey Police set up a Joint Investigation Team to work with their French colleagues - with up to 100 officers working on the case.

In May, Surrey Police issued an appeal for help to trace a vehicle, thought to be UK-registered, which was seen near the crime scene.

Detectives said the 4x4 was being driven on the Combre d'Ire Road in Chevaline, near Annecy, about 20 minutes before the shooting.

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Whistleblower Snowden 'Not On Cuba Flight'

Snowden Affair: The Who And The Why

Updated: 11:45am UK, Monday 24 June 2013

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

A look at the different players in the Edward Snowden controversy as the whistleblower tries to evade US justice.

China

There's no hard evidence that China has played a role in this affair but it's difficult to argue against the idea.

Beijing had a man and had a problem. The problem was that hanging on to Mr Snowden could damage its relationship with Washington DC which is its biggest foreign policy challenge.

If it had done, a long-running dispute over the issue would mean that relationship would be complicated.

Now it doesn't have a man, it doesn't have problem, and has been able to poke the US in the eye without leaving much of a fingerprint.

It can also claim the somewhat dubious moral high ground, arguing that Mr Snowden's revelations proved that the Americans, who have long complained about Chinese hacking, was in fact spying on China.

China may have granted Hong Kong more autonomy than most of its regions, but foreign policy remains in Beijing's hands.

And it is almost certain China and Hong Kong liaised to smooth the path of Mr Snowden out of their jurisdiction.

Hong Kong

The only quandary for the Hong Kong authorities was how to keep up appearances.

This was a legal matter which quickly turned into a geo political struggle.

It had to preserve its dignity and the rule of law, but also make sure that what Beijing wanted, Beijing got.

Hence the repeated response to the Americans that the case was 'under review' and that more paperwork was needed.

In fact, very little paperwork was required, not even a valid passport. Mr Snowden travelled out of Hong Kong with a revoked passport.

Russia

The Kremlin says it is 'unaware' of any contact with the Russian authorities and Mr Snowden.

However, the idea that Aeroflot would allow a former American spy, whose name was making global headlines, onto one of their flights bound for Moscow, on a revoked passport, without a Russian visa, does not tally with the way the world works.

That Ecuador may have given him a 'travel document' is just part of the pretence.

Moscow is also busy poking Washington DC in the eye, whilst maintaining a modicum of 'not me guv'.

Mr Snowden did not leave Moscow's airport, thus allowing the pretence of him not passing through a border.

Cuba

If Mr Snowden was passing through Cuba, it does not present Havana with a dilemma.

A transit trip would not sour Washington-Havana relations any more than they already are.

Were he to stay there, that would be a different matter. He was checked in for a flight from Moscow to Havana, had a seat, but the plane left, apparently without him.

Venezuela

Hugo Chavez may be gone but the spirit of his 'Bolivarian Revolution' lives on.

Just last month the successor to Chavez, President Nicolas Maduro, referred to Barack Obama as 'the grand chief of devils'. 

Venezuela is part of the Bolivarian Alliance which includes Cuba, and Bolivia, the country named after the 18th century revolutionary Simon Bolivar.

Members tend to be 'anti-imperialist' and take a delight in tweaking the nose of the US and its perceived global arrogance. 

Venezuela can handle the heat of allowing Snowden to transit through its territory; after all, despite the rhetoric between Caracas and Washington DC, the US buys 900,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil every day.

Ecuador

Ecuador is also in the Bolivarian Alliance and President Rafael Correa has impeccable 'anti-imperialist' credentials having granted Wikileaks founder Julian Assange asylum in his country and refuge in the London embassy until Mr Assange can get there.

So far Ecuador is assessing Mr Snowden's asylum request.

As he is an American citizen this case if even more sensitive than the Assange affair, and Ecuador, a poverty stricken country has fewer cards to play than Venezuela.

The signs are it will stay within the spirit of the Bolivarian bloc, and keep quiet about its own trampling over the basic tenets of free speech.

The US

Fail.

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Suspicious Item Found At Walsall Mosque

Homes near to a mosque in Walsall are being evacuated following the discovery of a suspicious item, West Midlands Police say.

Army bomb disposal experts are currently at the scene and have this morning ordered the evacuation of around 39 homes in the immediate vicinity of the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre.

The measure is precautionary while a further examination of the item is undertaken.

One officer wearing a blue full-length forensic could be seen taking photographs of areas of interest near the building.

Police were called to the Rutter Street address at around 10.45pm last night following the discovery in the grounds of the building.

The item was then brought inside the building by a member of the public, police said.

The area has been cordoned off.

"People in the affected area and who are unable to make alternative arrangements are being taken to Walsall Town Hall where they will be cared for," a police statement said.

Forensic experts were at the scene

Meanwhile, local officers remain at the scene and are talking to residents to keep them up-to-date with the incident and offer reassurance.

Viyja Kainth, the vice-chairman of a residents' group, said: "We were told by the police that there was an incident of a serious nature.

"The residents were evacuated in the early hours of the morning," he said, praising the work of Walsall Council in helping those who had to leave their homes.

Police have appealed for information

Ali Mahmood, the chair of the local traders' association, said no details had been provided of the nature of the suspicious item.

"It's a very big shock for the local community," he told reporters.

Sky's Midlands correspondent David Crabtree says that more than 12 hours after the item was found, "the area remains cordoned off and there is a great deal of police activity and forensic work going on".

:: Anyone with information which may help should call police on 101 http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/contact-us/reporting-crime/

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NHS Cover-Up: Burnham Denies Pressuring CQC

Former health secretary Andy Burnham has denied pressuring the NHS watchdog to tone down criticism of hospitals during his time in the job.

Mr Burnham has faced questions about whether he influenced hospitals' watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at the time it gave Morecambe Bay NHS Trust a clean bill of health, despite deaths of mothers and babies.

Labour's shadow health secretary insisted he did not cover up any problems at England's hospitals in the run-up to the 2010 General Election and was in fact "actively working to identify them".

An open letter from David Morris, the Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, asked Mr Burnham: "How much 'pressure' did you put on the CQC to 'tone down' its criticism of hospitals?

"You were the Labour Secretary of State for Health, when the first whitewash inspection of the Morecambe Bay NHS trust occurred in the spring of 2010. This was a crucial pre-election season for you."

Mr Burnham told Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan that the suggestion he pressured the CQC was "fundamentally disproved" by the decisions he took while in office.

He cited his decision in 2009 to set up the Francis Inquiry to investigate failings at Stafford Hospital and said he was "taking steps" to address concerns about the health watchdog.

He said: "I can't recollect every detail of every discussion that I had in that period with the CQC.

Joshua Titcombe's father wrote to Mr Lansley three years ago

"I am confident that it wasn't brought to me that there was a major problem at Morecambe and action needed to be taken - that didn't happen.

"What I'm saying is I don't know whether concerns were raised as part of a more general meeting and I would have to review all the paperwork to provide that extra assurance."

In his reply to Mr Morris, he denied any hospital problems were swept under the carpet.

David Morris has also asked Mr Burnham to make public any emails, texts and letters in which the CQC was discussed and detail conversations he had with former CQC bosses Cynthia Bower and Baroness Young before the hospital was given a clean bill of health.

Meanwhile, Professor Sir Brian Jarman - head of the major healthcare information provider - has told Sky News that he alerted Morecambe NHS Trust to its high mortality rates in December 2009, but nothing was done.

His comments come as it emerged that another former health secretary, the Conservatives' Andrew Lansley, was warned about baby deaths at Furness General Hospital three years ago.

Mr Lansley received a letter from James Titcombe, whose son Joshua died aged just nine days at the hospital, raising concerns over inaction by the CQC.

"Despite all of these regulatory bodies, Joshua's death was preceded by the preventable deaths of other babies, yet no action was taken in time to make a different (sic) to our son," wrote Mr Titcombe.

Ex-CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower denies there was any cover up

He continues, "...there seems to be a gap in that the CQC can not investigate individual events and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman do not assess complaints to their office against principles of patient safety".

Mr Titcombe told Sky News he believes the CQC may have been under pressure from senior health officials not to uncover another big hospital scandal.

The reply to his letter from the Department of Health said it was unable to comment on individual cases.

Mr Lansley also faces allegations that he told whistleblower Kay Sheldon he was considering her dismissal from the CQC board after she warned a public inquiry in 2011 that the CQC was in disarray and public safety was at risk.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The then Secretary of State, Andrew Lansley, was asked to consider removing Kay Sheldon from the CQC Board by the previous Chair of the CQC, Dame Jo Williams. He chose not to remove her.

"He ordered a review to establish the facts around how Kay Sheldon's raising of concerns about the CQC were handled, taking into account all perspectives.

"After considering its recommendations and the representations of Kay Sheldon he decided that she should remain a member of the Board."

Another whistleblower, former CQC head of media Roger Davidson, has told the Sunday Telegraph that he was forced from his job just before the 2010 General Election, after telling how one quarter of NHS Trusts had failed to meet basic hygiene standards.

In addition, a senior NHS official is facing calls to resign over links to Morecambe Bay.

Mike Farrar, who heads the body representing NHS trusts, was in charge of North West Strategic Health Authority (NWSHA) at the time of the failings.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman confirmed it was investigating complaints against the NWSHA.

Former bosses of hospitals' watchdog CQC have been accused of covering up a report which criticised their original inspection of the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust. They deny the claims.

The CQC gave the trust a clean bill of health in 2010 despite the deaths of up to 16 babies.

James Titcombe and other families who lost babies at the hospital are now calling for a police investigation and an independent inquiry to establish who knew about the alleged cover-up.

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Whistleblower Snowden Leaves Hong Kong

The whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked details about snooping carried out by the US government, has left Hong Kong for Russia.

His departure was revealed on the website of the Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post, which said that Russia was not thought to be his intended final destination.

The 30-year-old fugitive's departure has now been confirmed by the Hong Kong government.

It was thought that the eventual destination could end up being Ecuador or Iceland, but Russia's Itar-Tass news agency says he may be heading to Cuba and then on to Venezuela.

Itar-Tass said there is a flight ticket in his name from Moscow to Cuba and that he will then fly on to Caracas.

A source told Itar-Tass: "A Passenger with this name will fly today to Moscow on flight SU213 from Hong Kong, and tomorrow, June 24, he will fly to Havana on flight SU150,"

"Tomorrow, he will go by local flight from Havana to Caracas."

Russia's police have no plans to arrest him when he arrives at Moscow's Sheremtyevo Airport, Interfax quoted officials as saying, unless he does not have an appropriate visa.

The Morning Post said Snowden's flight left Hong Kong around 11am local time (4am UK time) and he was due to arrive in Moscow around 5.15pm local time (1pm UK time). The flight is believed to be currently in the air.

The twitter feed of the WikiLeaks whistleblowers' website said Snowden is currently over Russian airspace and is being accompanied by its legal advisers.

There is speculation he may be eventually heading for Ecuador as he is being helped by WikiLeaks, whose founder Julian Assange has also been granted asylum in the South American country.

Assange is currently in the Ecuador embassy in London as he is unable to leave without being arrested as he is wanted for questioning in Sweden over alleged sexual offences.

Snowden left Hong Kong after The White House asked the autonomous Chinese territory to extradite him. He had earlier been charged in the US with espionage.

WikiLeaks, which has published previous revelations about activities by America's security services, said it had helped Snowden secure political asylum in a "democratic country".

A twitter post said: "WikiLeaks has assisted Mr Snowden's political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers and safe exit from Hong Kong."

The Hong Kong government has said that although the US had sought his extradition, the request did not fully comply with requirements. It said that as a result, he was free to leave.

Snowden was revealed earlier this month to have been the man who leaked to the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers information about monitoring by America's National Security Agency.

Snowden told the Guardian the National Security Agency has been keeping details of millions of phone calls by Americans and monitoring the use by foreigners of internet sites including Google, Facebook and Yahoo.

The South China Morning Post reported that Snowden's departure was a relief to the Hong Kong government, which had been making all legal preparation to deal with new developments regarding the case.

More follows...

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Edward Snowden Charged With Espionage

Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who revealed secret government spying programmes, has been charged with espionage by US authorities.

A provisional arrest warrant has been issued and Hong Kong authorities have been asked to detain him.

US prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint, charging Mr Snowden with three offences including unauthorised communication of national defence information, which comes under the Espionage Act, and theft of government property.

He is also charged with willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorised person.

All three crimes listed carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.

The former CIA technician, who has worked for America's National Security Agency (NSA), leaked details of American telephone and internet surveillance programmes.

Court papers list three offences including theft of government property

He revealed the existence of a surveillance system called Prism that was set up by the NSA to track the use of the internet directly from ISP servers.

The NSA and FBI have said that the secret programme provided "critical leads" in preventing "dozens of terrorist events" - although some terror experts dispute the claims.

President Obama has also said the programmes were carried out with "systems of checks and balances" and overseen by the courts and the US Congress.

The Prism revelations sparked outcry in the UK when The Guardian reported that the GCHQ eavesdropping agency had been accessing information about British citizens through Prism.

Mr Snowden fled to Hong Kong on May 20 after copying the last set of documents he intended to disclose at the NSA's office in Hawaii.

Protests in support of Mr Snowden have taken place in Hong Kong

Sky News Asia correspondent Mark Stone said the move marks the official start of government attempts to bring him back to the US.

"We are yet to hear from the Hong Kong police and authorities on whether or not they will act on the request by the Americans to arrest Edward Snowden.

"It's my understanding that they know exactly where he is. The Americans haven't yet asked for his extradition, they have simply asked the authorities to arrest him."

There are reports a private plane is on standby to take Mr Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland, where he hopes to get asylum.

The latest documents from Mr Snowden claim to show that British spies have secretly accessed fibre-optic cables carrying emails, Facebook messages and other communications.

The Guardian reports that GCHQ can analyse data from the network of cables that carry global phone calls and internet traffic under an operation codenamed Tempora.

It claims that communications between innocent people are being processed, as well as those from people marked out as security threats.

The NSA programme helped to prevent terror attacks, say US spy chiefs

"It's not just a US problem," Mr Snowden told The Guardian.

"The UK has a huge dog in this fight. They (GCHQ) are worse than the US."

Mr Snowden worked for the NSA as an employee of various outside contractors, including Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton.

"I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building," Mr Snowden previously told The Guardian.

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