Snowden's dad meets the fugitive in Russia
The father of US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has held an "emotional" meeti ng with his son for the first time since the fugitive took refuge in Russia to escape US justice, a report said yesterday.
Lon Snowden met his son after arriving in Moscow from the United States on Thursday, Interfax quoted an informed source as saying, without specifying the time or place of the meeting.
"The meeting has already taken place. It was very emotional," the source told the agency, saying further details would not be given for security reasons.
Russia has granted Edward Snowden one year temporary asylum but the United States wants him to be extradited to face espionage charges over his leaking of sensational details of US surveillance programmes at home and abroad.
The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor spent over a month in transit at a Moscow airport before being granted asylum on August 1. Since then his whereabouts have been a mystery.
Earlier this week, a group of four retired US ex-intelligence workers and activists who now seek to promote ethics within the profession handed Snowden an award in Moscow.
The Government Accountability Project said Snowden received the Sam Adams Award -- a "symbolic candlestick" -- at a ceremony in Moscow late Wednesday.
Lon Snowden had told Russian state television in an interview shortly after arriving in Moscow Thursday that he wanted to make sure his son was healthy in the meeting and to discuss his future options.
Comments