NSA leaker Edward Snowden 'applies to extend asylum in Russia for another year'

Application was made a month before his one-year asylum was due to expire

Comes as mystery surrounds his one-month stay in Hong Kong



Snowden earlier said he had applied for asylum in several other countries

Whistleblower Edward Snowden has filed an official petition to extend his asylum in Russia for another year.

Snowden, who fled to Moscow on June 23, made the request to The Federal Migration Service a month before his current one-year asylum was due to expire.

If granted, Snowden, 31, will be able to remain in Russia for another year, according to The Moscow Times.

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Edward Snowden has sought permission to extend his asylum in Russia for another year

After being revealed as the man responsible for leaking more than 1.7 million highly classified US documents, the US cancelled the former CIA technician's passport.

He had already flown to Hong Kong, but was unable to get a connecting flight out of Moscow, forcing him to seek asylum.

In May Snowden was reported as saying his preference was to return to the US, but would apply to stay on in Russia if his asylum was to expire.

And last month he told a Brazilian television channel that he was going to seek asylum from several countries, including Brazil.

Snowden during a press conference at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport with Sarah Harrison of Wikileaks

Meanwhile, Snowden has kept quiet about the details of his flight out of the US and subsequent month-long stay in Hong Kong in May 2013. His whereabouts between May 20 and May 31 remains unknown.



According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, the former CIA technician did not arrive at the Mira Hotel, where he handed over 200,000 National Security Agency documents to journalist Glenn Greenwald and film maker Laura Poitras until June 1.



It has been reported that he contacted Wikileaks on June 12 last year and that he had help from a 'well connected' resident in Hong Kong to secure safe houses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Snowden reached out to his diplomats while still in Hong Kong

Snowden has refused to talk about his initial attempts to make contact with Russian authorities while in Hong Kong, but President Vladimir Putin said he had contacted diplomats before his arrival.