Ecuador confirms receiving asylum request from NSA whistleblower Snowden

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Sunday that Edward Snowden, former intelligence contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States who is wanted for leaking the PRISM program, has sought asylum in the south American country. "The government of Ecuador has received an asylum request from Edward Snowden", said Patino briefly on his Twitter account. The minister wrote this in Vietnam, where he is on an official visit. Although Patino gave no comment on whether the Ecuador government would grant the request, he said previously that his country would consider such a request if Snowden asked. Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, is wanted by Washington for having leaked U.S. government's spy programs to monitor internet data and phone calls. According to Russian media reports, Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on Sunday on a commercial flight and the Ecuadorian ambassador in Moscow was waiting for him at the Sheremetyevo airport. WikiLeaks, the organization founded by Julian Assange, said in a Sunday statement that Snowden is "bound for Ecuador via a safe route for the purpose of asylum." The WikiLeaks legal team has extended help to preserve Snowden's rights and protect him as a person. There has been speculations that Snowden might seek asylum in Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba or Iceland. Assange remains in Ecuador's embassy in London as a political refugee to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for sex allegations. Ecuador granted diplomatic asylum to Assange but the WikiLeaks founder could not leave the embassy since Britain has not extended him a safe pass.