Edward Snowden: what we know about the source behind the NSA files leak
Edward Snowden never wanted to be in the spotlight. But his life will now be pored over and debated by a public curious to know the background – and motivations – of one of the explosive whistleblowers in modern US history.
So far, little has emerged about Snowden that has not already been supplied voluntarily by him.
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Snowden was born on 21 June 1983, raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, and later moved to Ellicott City, Maryland. His mother, Elizabeth Snowden, 52, still lives in the modest condominium the family once shared. She is known locally as Wendy and works as a chief deputy clerk in the federal courthouse in nearby Baltimore. CNN showed pictures of her outside her home on Monday, but she did not talk to waiting reporters.
The whistleblower's father, Lonnie Snowden, 52 – reportedly a former US coast guard officer who has since remarried and now lives in Pennsylvania – told ABC News he was still digesting the news but was concerned for his son.
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Some details emerged on Monday about Snowden's girlfriend, with whom he shared, in his words, a "a very comfortable life" in Hawaii, until his disappearance less than three weeks ago. The TV show Inside Edition identified her as member of an acrobatic troupe based in Hawaii.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/edward-snowden-what-we-know-nsa
The Guardian's summary by Paul Lewis and Karen McVeigh
