On the Run

Is Snowden Headed to Venezuela?

Russian lawmaker tweets and deletes asylum news.

A tweet from a Russian lawmaker set off a flurry of speculation that Edward Snowden is heading to Venezuela. The lawmaker tweeted that Edward Snowden has accepted Venezuela’s offer of asylum but then deleted the tweet. WikiLeaks, meanwhile, says Snowden has yet to formally accept Venezuela's asylum offer. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been publicly welcoming the former NSA contractor for several days, saying that he can come to Venezuela to live without “persecution from the empire.” Nicaragua and Bolivia have also offered Snowden asylum. Bolivia’s President Evo Morales made his offer three days after his plane was rerouted under suspicion that he was sneaking Snowden out of Moscow.