In hiding: An intermediary has approached a WikiLeaks spokesperson to notify the Icelandic government that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, pictured, wants to seek asylum there'' Ndugu zangu Watanzania haya mambo ni yakuepuka sana jamani msijihusishe na mitandao msojua malengo yake nini haswa'' mimi naona hii haina tofauti na wabebaji wa unga au sembe kama mnavyowaita ' so jiepusheni kwa kweli 'ona sasa jinsi aanza kukimbia kimbia na huku haijui America ilivyo na Uwezo Duniani hata ikichukua Miaka mia kubadili mawasiliano na Nchi atakayo kimbilia watahakikisha watafanya hivyo na kumnasa tu'' Pole zake ikiwa hakujisuhudia''sijui alomponza nani ila najiuliza anafanya kazi gani na pesa zakuchukua hizo Private ndege kazitoa wapi'Mbuta Nanga" think''''before you do''Ruwa Mangi''
U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden could be flown to Iceland from Hong Kong by the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, it has emerged.
Helping hand: WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson, right approached Iceland on behalf of Snowden and his middleman. Julian Assange, left, also sought help from Iceland ahead of Wikileaks' releases"
A businessman connected to the controversial website said a chartered private jet is ready for the 30-year-old, who fled to Hong Kong after leaking U.S security details.
It comes after Iceland admitted holding talks with Snowden over the possibility of seeking political asylum.
Speaking to Channel2 television, he said: 'Everything is ready on our side and the plane could take off tomorrow.
'We have really done all we can do. We have a plane and all the logistics in place.'
The jet is believed to belong to a Chinese firm and has been chartered at a cost of $240,000.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange revealed on Wednesday he had been in contact with Snowden's representatives to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland.
The former US government contractor fled to Hong Kong on May 20 after leaking National Security Agency programmes.
Safety: Iceland has a reputation for promoting Internet freedoms. Reykjavik is pictured"
IS ICELAND SAFE FOR SNOWDEN?
Iceland has a reputation for promoting Internet freedoms and has long been discussed as an option for Snowden.
As a U.S. citizen, Snowden would not need a visa to enter Iceland and could immediately apply for asylum. He would be free to live in Iceland while immigration authorities decide his case, which could take more than a year, experts have said.
But if Snowden wants to seek refuge in Iceland, he'll have to get there first. And this is where the U.S. could have a chance.
Interpol will sometimes issue a 'red notice' - which is like an international arrest warrant - but keep it sealed so that the person doesn't know it exists. If he tried to travel, he would be arrested at the airport.
If he did get to Iceland, it is unknown if he would be safe. The government of newly-elected Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson is believed to be closer to Washington than past administrations and less keen to foster the country's cyber-haven image.
'I would be very surprised if they (the government) would be eager to engage in any international disputes with the U.S. And it is pretty difficult to be granted asylum here,' Stefania Oskarsdottir, lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland, told Reuters. 'I think what this guy is saying is based on something he is imagining or hoping for rather than actual facts.'
Iceland does have an extradition treaty with the United States, but it is unclear if it would cover any crimes that he might be charged with.
As a U.S. citizen, Snowden would not need a visa to enter Iceland and could immediately apply for asylum. He would be free to live in Iceland while immigration authorities decide his case, which could take more than a year, experts have said.
But if Snowden wants to seek refuge in Iceland, he'll have to get there first. And this is where the U.S. could have a chance.
Interpol will sometimes issue a 'red notice' - which is like an international arrest warrant - but keep it sealed so that the person doesn't know it exists. If he tried to travel, he would be arrested at the airport.
If he did get to Iceland, it is unknown if he would be safe. The government of newly-elected Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson is believed to be closer to Washington than past administrations and less keen to foster the country's cyber-haven image.
'I would be very surprised if they (the government) would be eager to engage in any international disputes with the U.S. And it is pretty difficult to be granted asylum here,' Stefania Oskarsdottir, lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland, told Reuters. 'I think what this guy is saying is based on something he is imagining or hoping for rather than actual facts.'
Iceland does have an extradition treaty with the United States, but it is unclear if it would cover any crimes that he might be charged with.
Snowden was hired this spring after he convinced his hiring screeners at Booz Allen Hamilton, that his description of his education was truthful.
It is unclear precisely which element of Snowden's resume caused personnel officials at Booz Allen Hamilton to raise questions about his background. Also unclear is how he satisfied their concerns.
Booz Allen Hamilton has said in a statement that 'we will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.'
Snowden fled his home in Hawaii, where he worked for NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, after exposing the U.S. government's top surveillance secrets. He is at a secret location in Hong Kong.
In a column in Icelandic daily newspaper Frettabladid, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson wrote that a middleman had approached him on behalf of Snowden.
'On 2 June, I received a message from Edward Snowden where he asked me to notify the Icelandic government that he wanted to seek asylum in Iceland,' Hrafnsson, who is also an investigative journalist in Iceland, told Reuters.
He added that he has yet to receive a response from officials about his request but said they have a 'moral obligation' to answer the call for help.
The Icelandic government, which has refused to say whether they would grant asylum to Snowden, confirmed it had received the message from Hrafnsson.
'Kristinn Hrafnsson has contacted two ministries in an informal way but not the ministers,' a government spokesman said. 'There has been no formal approach in this matter.'
Support: Snowden's image is displayed in Hong Kong, where the whistleblower is currently in hiding"
Snowden has previously mentioned Iceland as a possible refuge.
Iceland has a reputation for promoting Internet freedoms, but Snowden has said did not travel there immediately from the United States as he feared the country could be pressured by Washington.
'Iceland could be pushed harder, quicker, before the public could have a chance to make their feelings known, and I would not put that past the current U.S. administration,' Snowden said in an online forum in the Guardian on Monday.
It had been suggested that he would actually flee to the Icelandic consulate in Hong Kong, rather than risking boarding a plane to fly there in person.
Icelandic officials told USA Today last week that Snowden is missing a key element.
'The main stipulation for seeking asylum in Iceland would be that the person must be in Iceland to start the process,' said Johannes Tomasson, the chief spokesman for Iceland's Ministry of Interior in Reykjavik.
'That would be the ground rule No. 1.'
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over allegations of sex crimes, visited Iceland several times in the run-up to some of the website's major releases.
Assange denies any wrongdoing.
Yet some experts added that Iceland might not be as welcoming as Snowden hopes.
The government of newly-elected Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson has not been tested in relation to these cases, but is believed to be closer to Washington than past administrations and less keen to foster the country's cyber-haven image.
'I would be very surprised if they (the government) would be eager to engage in any international disputes with the U.S. And it is pretty difficult to be granted asylum here,' Stefania Oskarsdottir, lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland, told Reuters.
'I think what this guy is saying is based on something he is imagining or hoping for rather than actual facts.'
TUMESHIRIKI KUTOKA DM' Habari kama hizi huwa napenda kuzipost kama zilivyo wekwa kwa wenyewe ili muweze kuzisoma zilivyo na kuzielewa kivyenu vyenu na pia KUJIEPUSHA KWA MAKUU AMBAYO HAYARUHUSIWI NA DUNIA NA VILE VILE YATAKAYO KUWEKA MASHAKANI MILELE"
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