Snowden apparently did not board Havana flight, but may leave Moscow Tuesday

Snowden apparently did not board Havana flight, but may leave Moscow Tuesday

By Kathy Lally, Anthony Faiola and Karen DeYoung,

MOSCOW — Edward Snowden, who was expected to fly to Havana from Moscow

Monday, did not board the flight, according to journalists on the

airplane and airport officials, lending yet another twist to a

convoluted flight from U.S. authorities.



Just where he was remained a mystery. His ultimate destination was

reported to be Ecuador, where he has asked for asylum. But at a press

conference in Hanoi Monday a few hours after the plane had left

Moscow, Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said he could not

say where Snowden was.

"We are in close contact with the Russian government," he said, "but

the specific information as to his whereabouts, we cannot share that

at this time, we don't have it and we can't share it."



Patino said Ecuador was still considering Snowden's request for asylum

while also delivering what appeared to be an impassioned defense of

the former CIA contractor who has admitted leaking government secrets

about surveillance programs. Patino, whose government has been sharply

criticized for silencing journalists at home, insisted that Snowden's

case was fundamentally one based on the principle of human rights and

praised Snowden for disclosing a surveillance program that had

affected nations around the globe.



He cited U.S. refusals to extradite bankers convicted in crimes in

Ecuador, saying Quito was now free to exercise its "sovereignty" in

the same way. When asked if he was concerned about damaging his

nation's economic relationship with Washington, Patino remained

adamant.



"Ecuador puts its principles above its economic interests," he said.



Snowden's apparent failure to board the flight to Havana led to wide

speculation in Russian media, which suggested he had left by another

route, was taking Aeroflot's Tuesday flight to Hanoi instead or even

that he was being questioned by Russian intelligence, though there was

no evidence to support any theory.



Moscow itself has said little to say about Snowden's presence here.

Despite a direct request from the United States to return him to U.S.

soil to face charges of leaking government secrets, Russian officials

said Monday that they had no legal authority to detain the fugitive

former government contractor, who arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on

Sunday and was seeking asylum in Ecuador, reportedly planning to

travel there by way of Havana.



A frustrated Secretary of State John F. Kerry said he was troubled by

the apparent refusal of fellow world powers China and Russia to

respond to espionage charges the United States had filed against

Snowden, who leaked top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance

programs.



"It is a very serious question for all of us in all our

relationships," Kerry said. "There is no small irony here," Kerry

added, posing the hypothetical question of whether Snowden sought

refuge in China and Russia "because they're such powerful bastions of

Internet freedom."



The flight to Havana was packed with journalists, who set off a

flutter of Tweets when the airplane door was closed.



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