Snowden allegedly pulled back his request for asylum from Russia after Putin said he would have to stop leaking harmful things against the United States. So now Snowden’s options are exceedingly slim. The two countries who had indicated a willingness to consider it were Bolivia and Venezuela, both of whom had their Presidents in Moscow visiting. Hence, the reason for thinking Snowden might be on the plane.
Via Daily Mail:
Bolivia’s president’s has attacked US ‘aggression’ after his plane was rerouted last night amid suspicions that NSA leaker Edward Snowden was on board.
Evo Morales’s officials claim that his plane was forced to land in Austria because France and other European governments countries refused to let it cross their airspace.
Snowden is now running out of countries that will take him in – a growing list have either denied his request for asylum or insisted that he make an application on their soil.
As Bolivia’s president left Europe for home today French officials denied that France refused to let the plane cross over its airspace and Spain, also said the plane was free to cross its territory.
Bolivian and Austrian officials both say Snowden was not on Morales’ plane, which left Moscow on Tuesday following a summit.
Morales had suggested that his government would be willing to consider granting asylum to the American.
Snowden is believed to be in a Moscow airport transit area, seeking asylum from one of more than a dozen countries.
Bolivia’s ambassador to the United Nations, speaking in Geneva Wednesday, continued to insist that several European countries had refused permission for the plane to fly in their airspace.