Edward Snowden lay low with asylum seekers during his time in Hong Kong, it has been reported, as the whistle-blower's whereabouts in the city before fleeing to Russia were revealed for the first time.

The former CIA worker was holed up inside the upmarket Mira hotel in Kowloon in June 2013 when he disclosed to the world that it was he who leaked details of the National Security Agency’s mammoth electronic intelligence gathering operations.

With the world's media massed at the hotel, Mr Snowden was whisked away undetected and placed into hiding for almost two weeks before flying to Russia, where he has been in self-imposed exile ever since.

The American's whereabouts in the city from June 10 to June 23 had remained a mystery, known only to Mr Snowden and a handful of lawyers.