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Snowden leaks: US taking all necessary steps - FBI Mueller Snowden leaks caused US 'significant harm' - Mueller
(about 5 hours 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 disclosure last week of a pair of top secret surveillance programmes has caused the US "significant harm", the head of the FBI has said.
Robert Mueller confirmed to the House judiciary committee that a criminal investigation had been launched. Robert Mueller also told Congress the US would hunt down and prosecute leaker Edward Snowden.
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 disclosing information about National Security Agency (NSA) programmes that seize data from US internet and telephone firms.
Meanwhile, US senators briefed on the programmes have largely defended them. US officials have promised their own disclosures about the programmes.
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. "We want to provide the American people the information," NSA chief Gen Keith Alexander said following a closed-door briefing to members of the House of Representatives intelligence committee.
He said authorities were reviewing some of the "dozens" of terrorist attacks thwarted with the help of the NSA programmes, "so that we can get more information out to the public".
"I think it's important that you have that information," he said. "But we don't want to risk American lives in doing that."
'Exceptionally vulnerable''Exceptionally vulnerable'
China says it has "no information to offer" on the leaker's whereabouts. Gen Alexander's remarks came amid a flurry of news conferences and hearings on Thursday as Washington grapples with the fallout from last week's disclosures in the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers.
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. Mr Snowden, a former CIA and NSA contract worker, has admitted giving the newspapers information about NSA programmes that seize vast quantities of data on telephone calls and internet communications from US internet and telephone companies.
In testimony on Thursday, Mr Mueller told the judiciary committee the leak caused "significant harm to our nation and to our safety". In testimony in the House judiciary committee, Mr Mueller said those leaks had caused "significant harm to our nation and to our safety".
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. The FBI director, who is due to step down in September after 12 years in the job, said the history of US intelligence gathering showed plotters adapt their methods after leaks of classified intelligence material.
"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.""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."
He also stressed the phone records programme collected "no content whatsoever". In a press conference after the briefing with Gen Alexander, House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers said officials hoped to make public next week the details of terror plots supposedly thwarted by information gained from the programmes.
Some committee members remained unconvinced by Mr Mueller's defence. Mr Rogers, a Michigan Republican, said further disclosures would reassure Americans about the scope of US surveillance efforts, including data gathered from phone records.
Representative John Conyers, the committee's top Democrat, said he feared the US was "on the verge of becoming a surveillance state". "There are no American names in that lockbox," he said. "There are only numbers in that lockbox."
Mr Mueller said if the programmes had been place before the 9/11 attacks, they might have uncovered the plot. Sceptics
"That opportunity would have been there," he said. He added if there were a "reasonable suspicion" that a phone number was tied to a terrorist organisation, it would be turned over to the FBI for further investigation.
But Mr Conyers replied, "I am not persuaded that that makes it OK to collect every call." Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the committee, said at least 10 attacks had been thwarted by the programmes.
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. Senators leaving a separate closed-door briefing with Gen Alexander also defended the programmes.
Misunderstood Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska insisted safeguards were already in place to protect Americans from government snooping.
Meanwhile, senators leaving a closed-door briefing with Gen Alexander of the NSA largely defended 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.
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. "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."
"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." But despite the sweeping defence of the programmes from President Barack Obama and congressmen and senators of both parties, some remain sceptical.
Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker told reporters lawmakers were given "some specific and helpful information about how these programmes have helped keep Americans safe". Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall said they had seen no evidence NSA programmes had produced "uniquely valuable intelligence".
Senate intelligence committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, predicted the Senate would consider legislation to curb contractors' access to secret data. "Gen Alexander's testimony yesterday suggested that the NSA's bulk phone records collection program helped thwart 'dozens' of terrorist attacks, but all of the plots that he mentioned appear to have been identified using other collection methods," the senators said in a joint statement.
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". And in the House, Representative John Conyers, the intelligence committee's top Democrat, said he feared the US was "on the verge of becoming a surveillance state".
He vowed to fight extradition to the US. 'Risk'
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 newspapers last week.
"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."
China says it has "no information to offer" on his whereabouts.