Breaking: Flight to Cuba for Which Snowden Booked Departs, But He's Not Seen on Board

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

@AP: MORE: Flight from Moscow to Cuba for which Snowden booked departs, but he's not seen on board. http://t.co/7AlkoyBJbb - VW

FLIGHT TO CUBA FOR WHICH SNOWDEN BOOKED DEPARTS

By PHILIP ELLIOTT
— Jun. 24 6:54 AM EDT

MOSCOW (AP) — Aeroflot says a Cuba-bound flight for which National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was registered has departed from Moscow, but he has not been seen on board.

An airline representative told The Associated Press that the Havana-bound flight has left Moscow. The representative, who wouldn't give her name as she wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said Snowden wasn't on the flight.

AP reporters on the flight couldn't see Snowden in the seat he booked or anywhere else on the plane.

The airline said earlier Snowden registered for the flight using his U.S. passport, which American officials say has been annulled.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nsa-leaker-snowden-expected-fly-cuba

[Sunlei]

1. maybe he took another flight. you don't need a us passport to fly in other countries.

people don't use a us passport to fly to cuba. Wonder how he got the money for all this expensive travel.

Also wonder how many other thousands of snowdens have been 'vetted' for well paid positions in the huge 'no bid' security contractors corps.

[OKNancy]

2. uh, people saw him on the Moscow flight

The Russians may be holding him for any number of reasons.


NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/world/edward-snowden-nsa-surveillance-leak.html

It also raised the possibility that the Russian government had detained him, either to consider the demands by the Obama administration to intercept him and return him to the United States or perhaps to question him for Russia’s own purposes.

[dipsydoodle]

4. As Catherina pointed out eslewhere

Snowden is actually in North Wales http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023081011#post32

[cosmicone]

3. I never bought into the Cuba-Venezuela story

I think it was the equivalent of smoke grenades so people won't look where he is actually headed. He may even have gone back to China where people are no longer going to look for him.

[MADem]

5. You need a visa to visit Cuba if you are travelling on a USA passport.

He may be using his passport as "picture ID" but he
is likely travelling on that Ecuadoran Travel Document.

[Comrade Grumpy]

9. I didn't when I flew in from Cancun a few years ago.

And the Cuban customs guys very helpfully reminded me that I didn't want them to stamp my passport.

That may have changed recently, though. I don't know.

[MADem]

10. They'll give it to you when you arrive if you've notified their embassy that you are visiting.

Were you in a group or on your own? If a group, the group leader may have smoothed the way.

If you do a People to People visit, it's OK to let them stamp the passport--those get the up-check from State and are part of that charter program that brings visitors and family back and forth.

[Franker65]

6. I don't think he's going to deliberately seek the company of journalists

Just expect news either when he's detained or he's popped up somewhere that offers him asylum.

[Gregorian]

7. And hardly a peep about what the US did to cause all of this.

Snowden this, Snowden that... I can't believe how scary it is to think of what's going on and not being discussed. Or hardly being talked about. One more 9/11 and we're in for a real shock.

[blkmusclmachine]

8. OPERATION NORTHWOODS

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92662&page=1#.UciEcNgW5kg

[Gregorian]

11. Oh man. I had heard of it, but never knew.

That's really frightening stuff. And I am sure they've come a long way since then. Hmm. Makes one wonder why Dick and Chimpy wouldn't testify under oath.