Hong Kong Says U.S. Gov’t Got NSA Leaker Edward Snowden’s Middle Name Wrong On Arrest Request

According to Hong Kong officials, the U.S. government got NSA leaker Edward Snowden‘s middle name wrong on documents requesting his arrest. Snowden was allowed to fly to Moscow because of the errors, they said.

“Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen said Tuesday that discrepancies in the paperwork filed by U.S. authorities were to blame,” the Associated Press reported. Furthermore:

He said Hong Kong immigration records listed Snowden’s middle name as Joseph, but the U.S. government used the name James in some documents and referred to him only as Edward J. Snowden in others.

“These three names are not exactly the same, therefore we believed that there was a need to clarify,” he said.

Yuen said U.S. authorities also did not provide Snowden’s passport number.

Snowden reportedly flew from Hong Kong to Russia and has sought asylum in Ecuador. The White House responded to Hong Kong’s decision to let him leave, saying it damaged relations with China. Meanwhile, Hong Kong officials have insisted they processed the request and could not comply due to the paperwork issues.

(h/t AP)

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