Snowden denounces US

RUSSIA : Fugitive US intelligence specialist Edward Snowden, breaking a 10-day silence since fleeing Hong Kong, accused Washington of pressuring foreign leaders to refuse him refuge as he sought asylum in 21 countries including Russia. Snowden, who is holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, accused President Barack Obama of ordering Vice President Joe Biden to pressure leaders of countries where he was seeking asylum.

"These are the old, bad tools of political aggression," he said in a statement published Monday by WikiLeaks.

"Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me."

AFP