On the run and holed up in a $15-an-hour capsule hotel: NSA leaker Ed Snowden books in to budget room in Moscow as he asks Ecuador for asylum after fleeing Hong Kong to Russia

Edward Snowden, 30, officially requested asylum in Ecuador on Sunday

He arrived in Moscow at around 5 p.m. local time after fleeing Hong Kong

WikiLeaks legal advisor Sarah Harrison accompanying him on plane



Yesterday Snowden was charged in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia

He faces up to 30 years in jail if found guilty of theft and spying in US trial

U.S. reportedly revoked Snowden's passport on Saturday

Ex-NSA contractor is spending Sunday night in a hotel in the airport



Whistleblower Edward Snowden is set to fly from Moscow to the Republic of Ecuador where he will seek asylum, WikiLeaks has revealed.

Snowden flew into the Russian capital just after 5 p.m. local time on Sunday after fleeing Hong Kong, where he had been hiding out since leaking explosive details of the U.S. government's widespread surveillance programs.



Unable to leave Moscow's Sheremtyevo airport without a Russian visa, t he former National Security Agency contractor is reportedly booked into a $15-an-hour capsule hotel on the airport premises where he will stay before he flies out to Ecuador tomorrow via a 'safe route' - presumably Cuba.



In a statement on Sunday afternoon, WikiLeaks said Snowden was bound for Ecuador - a country which has been harboring the anti-secrecy agency's founder Julian Assange for the past year - 'for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.'

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Seeking asylum: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, pictured, has been charged with espionage and theft. He arrived in Moscow at around 5 p.m. Sunday

Holed up: Snowden is staying at the $15-an-hour Vozdushny Express Capsule Hotel, pictured, in Terminal E

Hotel: Snowden will spend Sunday night at a capsule hotel, pictured, at the Moscow airport

At around 8:40 p.m. Moscow time, Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patiño Aroca, tweeted that Snowden had officially requested asylum from the South American country.



WikiLeaks said the request will be formally processed once Snowden touches down in Ecuador.

It is not clear if Snowden has arrived at the Vozdushny Express hotel, located in Terminal E, where The Guardian reported that he was booked in. Guests must pay by the hour, however a minimum stay is four hours. On its website, the hotel describes its rooms as resembling 'cabins of (a) cruise liner' rather than 'capsules.' It is not clear when on Monday Snowden is due to fly to Ecuador - presumably the capital, Quito.



Meanwhile, it was revealed that Snowden's passport has been revoked by the U.S. though he should still be able to travel to a country that wants to take him, CBS News reported.



A revoked passport, however, may complicate travel to a third country - namely Cuba, which is where he is believed to be passing through en route to Ecuador.

State Department Jen Psaki said in a statement : 'As is routine and consistent with US regulations, persons with felony arrest warrants are subject to having their passport revoked. Such a revocation does not affect citizenship status.



Asylum: Two cars, pictured, of the Ecuadorian embassy parked at Moscow Sheremetevo airport on June 23, 2013, sparked rumors that Edward Snowden may be on his way to Ecuador

Safe haven: Journalists stand next to the Ecuadorian Ambassador's car while waiting for Edward Snowden at Sheremetyevo airport

Sympathetic: Ecuador Ambassador to Russia Patrizio Alberto Chavez Savala, pictured left with Vladimir Putin, was waiting for Snowden in Moscow

Ecuador: Snowden is likely headed for the Ecuador capital Quito, pictured The Government of Ecuador has received an asylum request from Edward J. #Snowden — Ricardo Patiño Aroca (@RicardoPatinoEC) June 23, 2013





'Persons wanted on felony charges, such as Mr. Snowden, should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him to the United States. Because of the Privacy Act, we cannot comment on Mr. Snowden's passport specifically.



He is not expected to leave the airport in Moscow so his immigration status shouldn't be a concern in Russia.

An Aeroflot source earlier told Interfax: ' He has arrived. He cannot leave the terminal, since he doesn't have a Russian visa.'

Ecuador's ambassador to Russia, Patricio Chavez, along with crowds of journalists, was waiting to meet with the 30-year-old inside Sheremtyevo airport after his Aeroflot flight from Hong Kong to Moscow landed. Two diplomatic cars from the Ecuador embassy were photographed in the car park.

It was earlier reported that Snowden would fly to Havana, Cuba tomorrow and then on to Caracas in Venezuela, though Ecuador perhaps makes more sense as a safe haven given the country has been harboring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy for more than a year.

The White House said President Barack Obama has been briefed on Sunday's developments, which could prove embarrassing for the government.



After news spread of the whistleblower's departure from Hong Kong, U.S. politicians began again labeling Snowden a 'traitor' and demanding the Obama administration chase him to the ends of the earth.

'I think it is important for the American people to realize that this guy is a traitor, a defector, he’s not a hero,' Republican congressman for New York Peter King said on Fox News on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Republican senator for South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, told the same station: 'I hope we'll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there will be consequences if they harbor this guy.'

WikiLeaks said in the statement Mr Snowden requested its legal expertise and experience to secure his safety. 'The WikiLeaks legal team and I are interested in preserving Mr Snowden's rights and protecting him as a person,' Former Spanish Judge Mr Baltasar Garzon, legal director of Wikileaks and lawyer for Assange, said in a statement on Sunday. ' What is being done to Mr Snowden and to Mr Julian Assange - for making or facilitating disclosures in the public interest - is an assault against the people.'

WikiLeaks already helped Snowden flee Hong Kong. He caught Aeroflot flight SU213 from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday morning. WikiLeaks said in an earlier statement that its legal advisers had been on the plane to Moscow with Mr Snowden and they would help 'secure his safety' at his 'final destination'. In tweets from its official account, Wikileaks said: 'WikiLeaks has assisted Mr. Snowden's political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers ans [sic] safe exit from Hong Kong. 'Mr Snowden is currently over Russian airspace accompanied by WikiLeaks legal advisors.' The site has confirmed British journalist and legal researcher Sarah Harrison was with Snowden on the flight, adding she was 'courageously' assisting him 'in his passage to safety'. Tweets: WikiLeaks revealed today it was helped Edward Snowden seek asylum The Hong Kong government confirmed he had left the country 'on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel.' He got an Aeroflot flight from Chep Lap Kok airport at 11.04 a.m. today (Hong Kong time) and landed at Moscow's Shermetyevo International Airport at 5.15 p.m. A Moscow-based agent for the airline said Snowden was traveling on a one-way ticket and had one person with him, the New York Times reported. The U.S. Department of Justice said it had been informed Snowden had left Hong Kong. 'We will continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel,' spokesman, Nanda Chitre, told CBS News.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that it had told the US about the whistleblower's departure. The U.S. government yesterday warned Hong Kong not to drag its feet over extraditing Snowden after he was charged with theft, espionage and theft of government property.



Support: Snowden's image is displayed in Hong Kong, where the whistleblower has been in hiding Making headlines: A news report featuring Edward Snowden is broadcast from a giant screen near where he was hiding in Hong Kong Hong Kong said: 'The U.S. Government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR Government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden.

'Since the documents provided by the US Government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR Government has requested the US Government to provide additional information so that the Department of Justice could consider whether the US Government's request can meet the relevant legal conditions. 'As the HKSAR Government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong. 'Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government has formally written to the US Government requesting clarification on earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies.

'The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong.'

The Russian Embassy in Beijing refused to confirm or deny whether Snowden was on the flight, while the Russian consulate in Hong Kong declined to comment, the South China Morning Post reported.

Yesterday it was revealed that the White House had contacted authorities in Hong Kong to request the extradition of the former intelligence analyst for leaking details of secret surveillance operations, including those run in the UK.

'Courageous': British legal researcher Sarah Harrison is helping Snowden 'in his passage to safety'

The 30-year-old was charged with theft, espionage and theft of government property, and could face up to 30 years in prison.

In a statement the National Security Council said the U.S. had spoken to authorities in the Chinese territory to discuss how Mr Snowden could be brought back to America.

White House national security adviser Tom Donilon told CBS News that U.S. officials expected Hong Kong 'to comply with the treaty in his case' after they presented a 'good case for extradition.'

A senior administration official warned that if Hong Kong did not act quickly it would 'complicate relations,' suggesting Snowden's departure would not be received well.

The extradition request came after the Guardian reported that UK eavesdropping agency GCHQ is able to tap into and store internet and communications data from cables for up to 30 days so it can be analysed under an operation codenamed Tempora.

The Cheltenham-based agency would not comment on intelligence matters but insisted it was 'scrupulous' in complying with the law.

The newspaper said there were two principal components to the agency's surveillance programme, called Mastering the Internet and Global Telecoms Exploitation.

It claimed the data was shared with the organisation's US counterpart the National Security Agency.

BT, one of the UK's main fibre-optic network providers, said it could not comment on national security issues.

The information is the latest leak from Snowden, the former NSA contractor responsible for a string of disclosures about US intelligence operations.

The American has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programmes.

The Guardian claimed Operation Tempora had been running for 18 months and GCHQ and the NSA are consequently able to access vast quantities of communications between innocent people as well as targeted suspects, including phone calls, the content of email messages, Facebook entries and a user's internet history.

Snowden, who fled the US for Hong Kong after deciding to reveal the NSA's secrets, told the newspaper he wanted to expose 'the largest programme of suspicionless surveillance in human history'.

'It's not just a US problem. The UK has a huge dog in this fight,' he said. 'They (GCHQ) are worse than the US.'

The Guardian reported that GCHQ lawyers told US counterparts there was a 'light oversight regime' in Britain compared with America.

Assistant: Sarah Harrison has been supporting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as he remains in hiding at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London

The newspaper said the documents revealed that by last year GCHQ was handling 600 million 'telephone events' each day, had tapped more than 200 fibre-optic cables and was able to process data from at least 46 of them at a time.

A GCHQ spokeswoman said: 'We do not comment on intelligence matters. Our intelligence agencies continue to adhere to a rigorous legal compliance regime. GCHQ are scrupulous in their legal compliance.'

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the Tory chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, said he expected to receive a written report from GCHQ about the latest allegations.

Sir Malcolm said the committee will launch an investigation into the latest revelations, the Observer said.

Reports that GCHQ lawyers told US counterparts there was a 'light oversight regime' in Britain compared with America are 'worrying', Foreign Office minister David Davis told the Observer.

Helping hand: WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson, left, approached Iceland on behalf of Snowden and his middleman. Julian Assange, right, also sought help from Iceland ahead of Wikileaks' releases

He said: 'This reinforces the view that the oversight structure is wholly inadequate. Really what is needed is a full-scale independent judicial oversight that reports to Parliament.'

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said the breadth of snooping was no surprise, the Observer said.

'It's possible to be shocked but not surprised at this blanket surveillance on a breathtaking scale,' she said.

'The authorities appear to be kidding themselves with a very generous interpretation of the law that cannot stand with article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.'

Last night WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called for countries to step forward to offer asylum to Snowden.

The Australian - who has himself been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for over a year to avoid extradition to the United States - said the surveillance whistleblower's 'ordeal is just beginning'.

In a statement, Assange, 41, said: 'Two dangerous runaway processes have taken root in the last decade, with fatal consequences for democracy.

'Government secrecy has been expanding on a terrific scale. Simultaneously, human privacy has been secretly eradicated.'