Report: Russian spy agency sought to recruit Snowden

[bemildred]

Source: AP

BERLIN (AP) -- A close ally of Edward Snowden has told filmmakers that Russia's intelligence agency sought to recruit the former NSA contractor, but he declined the offer.

WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison says the Russian FSB intelligence security service approached Snowden while he was stuck in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport for six weeks in 2013.

At the time, Snowden was unable to enter Russia or fly elsewhere because his passport had been canceled by U.S. authorities seeking to arrest him for leaking secret documents.

Harrison told German filmmakers in a documentary airing late Monday that the FSB asked only once, and he "didn't give anything to the Russians at all." The FSB did not respond to an AP request for comment.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_NSA_SURVEILLANCE_SNOWDEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-12-07-40-25

[joshcryer]

1. "sought"

Wishful thinking.

Poor Snowden is likely under 100% daily surveillance.

[randome]

2. 'Blanket' surveillance. Get it? Because he used to cover his head with a blanket and now...

...oh, never mind.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]

[bemildred]

5. Well, I am sure they do keep a close eye on him.

But more for his protection than anything.

[Depaysement]

3. In other news

Water is wet.

That said, the OP is worthwhile for its underlying facts.

[bemildred]

4. Yep, pretty much what I expected to be the case. nt

[treestar]

6. A close ally of Eddie told them

is their source. Not enough to conclude it is really the case.

[bemildred]

7. I am fairly confident that the Russians would have tried to recruit him. nt

[LiberalLovinLug]

13. I think you have misinterpreted treestars response

Based on her past posts, she most likely meant that because its a "close ally" of Snowden, then he is lying NOT about the Russians asking, but that he said Snowden didn't jump up and down at the first chance to be an international spy master and traitor against his own country.

[bemildred]

14. It is ambiguous, but I don't feel that your version is much better. nt

[MADem]

8. I wonder if he wasn't recruited during his first trip to Hong Kong.

No, not the "Rubik's Cube" trip, the trip he took as a VACATION when he was working for a contractor in Japan.

[Bradical79]

9. If they hadn't

I'd question their competence :-P

[bemildred]

10. He was well known by the time he got to Moscow.

I think they were just going through the motions. They were likely more than a little suspicious when he first showed up too. "It's all a trick!" and like that.

[jakeXT]

11. Well, he also worked for the CIA and Boozen Allen Hamilton ... /nt

[bemildred]

12. Yeah, exactly. nt

[nilesobek]

15. Its not like Snowden is being held in the Lubyanka.

He probably has as much freedom as we do considering there is a traffic camera on every corner.

[bemildred]

16. He is safer there, I would think.

As long as he follows the local rules. He would have got the solitary confinement treatment for sure if we got our hands on him, at least, the Chelsea Manning treatment. He pissed off a lot of very powerful people.

And Russia would be interesting to see.

But I would still prefer the cushy job he had in Hawaii.

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. I got suspicious when I saw that this was Snowden's girlfriend