THE young woman accompanying whistleblower Edward Snowden on his global journey to avoid US capture is the ex-lover of Julian Assange, a UK paper has claimed.

According to sources quoted in the Daily Mail, Sarah Harrison and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were involved in a relationship with sources describing Ms Harrison as Assange’s “right-hand man”.

Ms Harrison, 31, is currently hiding out with CIA technician Edward Snowden in a hotel in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Snowden is waiting to find out if he will be granted asylum by Ecuador after the US revoked his passport. Russia, meanwhile, has refused to hand him over to the US.

Ms Harrison, a British national, flew out to Hong Kong on behalf of Wikileaks to help Snowden after he revealed details of Prism, a massive US surveillance programme run by the National Security Agency (NSA) that pries into Facebook accounts, emails and phone calls.

Her parents told the Daily Mail they had not heard from their daughter.

"We haven’t heard a thing from Sarah and I’m worried - though not nearly as worried as my wife," said Ian Harrison, 74.

"All I know is what I read in the newspapers. Sarah’s always been very conscientious, diligent, and I believe she’d like to see the world a better place. But heaven knows where this could end."

Ms Harrison, who was educated at the same £29,600 a year private school as Daniel Day-Lewis and the former head of the British intelligence service MI5, Sir Jonathan Evans, is said to have become an expert on immigration and extradition matters through her work with Assange.

She became involved with Assange in 2010 and is said to vet all requests for meetings with the Australian as well as doing his washing at her London flat.

One friend described her as “very committed, very determined and a good organiser who loves being at the centre of things where there is some excitement”.



Originally published as 'Assange's ex' on the run with Snowden