The man behind the explosive leaks of the NSA's wiretapping and Internet sweeping programs has
revealed himself.
The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for theCIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.
The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," he said.
Snowden is an essentially self-taught computer expert. He has a GED, but hasn't completed college. He joined the Army in 2003, saying "I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression". When training for Special Forces, he broke broth legs in a training accident, and was discharged. Then he went to work for the NSA and CIA, where he worked on IT security. In 2009, he left the CIA and began working with contractors.
Three weeks ago, he set his plan to leak the information—which he says he carefully controlled to protect individuals while revealing the scope of the programs—in motion, heading to Hong Kong where he's remained ensconced in a hotel, working with the reporters he leaked to. Snowden is well aware that the Obama administration will want to apprehend and prosecute him. His coming forward could perhaps preclude the worst that he has imagined.
"Yes, I could be rendered by the CIA. I could have people come after me. Or any of the third-party partners. They work closely with a number of other nations. Or they could pay off the Triads. Any of their agents or assets," he said.
He went to Hong Kong, he says, "because 'they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent', and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government." He sees little chance of returning to the U.S., and will likely apply for asylum elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the NSA has formally requested a criminal investigation as have the chairs of the Intelligence committees in both the House and Senate. No word on whether they will actually hold hearings to determine if the NSA programs go beyond legal bounds.
There's ongoing discussion in Deep Harm's diary.
2:22 PM PT: Booz Allen released this statement.
Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, has been an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm. We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.
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