Snowden 'leaves Moscow airport and enters Russia,' says his lawyer

Edward Snowden, the fugitive whistleblower who leaked details of US surveillance programs, has reportedly left the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for over a month. He is said to be in a 'secure location.' Snowden's Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said the 30-year-old left the airport after receiving papers granting him temporary asylum for one year in Russia. Snowden had been staying in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since his arrival there from Hong Kong on June 23. Snowden is wanted by the US government for leaking details of its intelligence programs. His revelations, including a phone data collection program and an internet monitoring program called PRISM, have caused a heated political debate around the world on the scope of US government spying. Washington has revoked Snowden's passport and demanded his extradition. A former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Snowden had already been granted asylum by Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, but said he was afraid the US would monitor flights to these countries. His revelations continue to have repercussions throughout the world. In Germany, there have been many questions asked of the country's political leaders after a report by news weekly Der Spiegel said documents provided by Snowden showed that German services cooperated closely with the NSA. The report has put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the September 22 national elections. tj/hc (Reuters, AP, AFP)