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Snowden leaks: US taking all necessary steps - FBI Mueller Snowden leaks: US taking all necessary steps - FBI Mueller
(about 1 hour later)
The head of the FBI says the US is taking "all necessary steps" to hold Edward Snowden responsible for exposing secret surveillance programmes.The head of the FBI says the US is taking "all necessary steps" to hold Edward Snowden responsible for exposing secret surveillance programmes.
Robert Mueller confirmed to the House judiciary committee that a criminal investigation had been launched.Robert Mueller confirmed to the House judiciary committee that a criminal investigation had been launched.
Mr Snowden, 29, has admitted leaking information about National Security Agency (NSA) programmes that seize data from US internet and telephone firms.Mr Snowden, 29, has admitted leaking information about National Security Agency (NSA) programmes that seize data from US internet and telephone firms.
NSA head Keith Alexander is due to give senators a classified briefing later. Meanwhile, US senators briefed on the programmes have largely defended them.
In a Senate intelligence committee briefing to which all senators were invited, he was expected to describe how the surveillance helped foil "dozens of terrorist events" both in the US and overseas.
On Wednesday, Gen Alexander defended the exposed programmes to the Senate intelligence committee, saying the US was less safe as a result of Mr Snowden's actions.
Mr Snowden, who has pledged to fight any attempt to extradite him to the US, fled his home in Hawaii for Hong Kong shortly before reports of the top secret programmes were published by the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers last week.Mr Snowden, who has pledged to fight any attempt to extradite him to the US, fled his home in Hawaii for Hong Kong shortly before reports of the top secret programmes were published by the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers last week.
'Americans will die' 'Exceptionally vulnerable'
China says it has "no information to offer" on the leaker's whereabouts.China says it has "no information to offer" on the leaker's whereabouts.
The former NSA contract computer technician has admitted giving the newspapers information about NSA programmes that seize vast quantities of data from US internet and telephone companies.The former NSA contract computer technician has admitted giving the newspapers information about NSA programmes that seize vast quantities of data from US internet and telephone companies.
US officials have confirmed the programmes exist, with President Barack Obama saying they were closely overseen by Congress and the courts. In testimony on Thursday, Mr Mueller told the judiciary committee the leak caused "significant harm to our nation and to our safety".
On Wednesday, Gen Alexander said intelligence officials were "trying to be transparent" about the programmes. The FBI director, who is due to step down in September after 12 years in the job, said intelligence gathered following the leaks showed plotters were adapting to the revelations.
But some details would remain classified "because if we tell the terrorists every way that we're going to track them, they will get through and Americans will die", he added. "One of my problems is that we're going to... lose our ability to get their communications," Mr Mueller said. "We are going to be exceptionally vulnerable."
In the course of Wednesday's hearing, committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein revealed that phone records were only accessed by the NSA in cases where there was reason to suspect an individual was connected with al-Qaeda or Iran. He also stressed the phone records programme collected "no content whatsoever".
She also said the vast majority of records were never accessed and were deleted after five years. Some committee members remained unconvinced by Mr Mueller's defence.
Representative John Conyers, the committee's top Democrat, said he feared the US was "on the verge of becoming a surveillance state".
Mr Mueller said if the programmes had been place before the 9/11 attacks, they might have uncovered the plot.
"That opportunity would have been there," he said.
But Mr Conyers replied, "I am not persuaded that that makes it OK to collect every call."
The FBI director also told lawmakers Mr Snowden was the "subject of an ongoing criminal investigation" related to the leaks but would not give details on the status of the case.
Misunderstood
Meanwhile, senators leaving a closed-door briefing with Gen Alexander of the NSA largely defended the programmes.
Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska insisted procedures were already in place to protect Americans from government snooping and that the revelations in the news media had mischaracterised the programmes.
"It is misunderstood that American private information, emails and phone calls are being rummaged through by the government - that is not true," he said. "Only when there is probable cause given with a court order of a federal judge can they go into the content of phone calls and emails in order to be able to disrupt a terrorist plot."
Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker told reporters lawmakers were given "some specific and helpful information about how these programmes have helped keep Americans safe".
Senate intelligence committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, predicted the Senate would consider legislation to curb contractors' access to secret data.
In an interview at an undisclosed Hong Kong location published in the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, Mr Snowden said he believed there had been more than 61,000 NSA global hacking operations which targeted powerful "network backbones".In an interview at an undisclosed Hong Kong location published in the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, Mr Snowden said he believed there had been more than 61,000 NSA global hacking operations which targeted powerful "network backbones".
He said one of those institutions hacked was the Chinese University of Hong Kong, home to the Hong Kong Internet Exchange, which handles nearly all the Chinese territory's domestic web traffic. He vowed to fight extradition to the US.
Chinese officials have acknowledged they have seen a number of cyber-attacks from the US.
In the newspaper interview, Mr Snowden vowed to fight extradition to the US.
"All I can do is rely on my training and hope that world governments will refuse to be bullied by the United States into persecuting people seeking political refuge," the paper quoted Mr Snowden as saying."All I can do is rely on my training and hope that world governments will refuse to be bullied by the United States into persecuting people seeking political refuge," the paper quoted Mr Snowden as saying.
"Things are very difficult for me in all terms, but speaking truth to power is never without risk," he said."Things are very difficult for me in all terms, but speaking truth to power is never without risk," he said.
"It has been difficult, but I have been glad to see the global public speak out against these sorts of systemic violations of privacy.""It has been difficult, but I have been glad to see the global public speak out against these sorts of systemic violations of privacy."
US officials have yet to comment on the China-related allegations.
But in an online post, Chinese Air Force Colonel Dai Xu said: "I have always said, the United States' accusations about Chinese hacking attacks have always been a case of a thief crying for another thief to be caught."
Intelligence officials have insisted agents do not listen in on Americans' telephone conversations. And they maintain the internet communications surveillance programme, reportedly codenamed Prism, targeted only non-Americans located outside the US.
But some congressmen say they want to know how a relatively junior civilian contractor was able to gain access to such large quantities of sensitive information.