Skip to main content

Leaks damaged U.S. security

Attorney General Eric Holder called the leaks about U.S. surveillance programs "extremely damaging" and vowed justice for whomever disseminated the information.
Appearing at a U.S.-European Union ministerial meeting Friday in Dublin, Holder was asked by a reporter why the United States hasn't requested the arrest of Edward Snowden, the self-avowed National Security Agency leaker.
Holder didn't mention Snowden's name and said the case remains under investigation. Snowden provided documents to journalists revealing the existence of secret programs to collect records of domestic telephone calls in the United States and the Internet activity of overseas residents.
"The national security of the United States has been damaged as a result those leaks. The safety of the American people and the safety of people who reside in allied nations have been put at risk as a result of these leaks," Holder said. "We are presently in the process of that investigation, and I'm confident the person who is responsible will be held accountable."
Trump: Snowden is bad news
Mueller: 'No content' taken from calls
The leaks have spurred great concern in Europe. EU officials in Dublin raised questions and German Chancellor Angela Merkel told CNN in an interview that European officials are particularly concerned about the PRISM program -- the secret set of tools used to collect data about overseas Internet communications. The NSA and FBI have obtained massive numbers of U.S. phone logs through a court order.
Merkel intends to discuss the PRISM surveillance program with President Obama, she told CNN in Berlin on Friday. She wants the greatest possible transparency on all these issues, she said.
The European Union has "serious concerns" about the reported large-scale surveillance of online data by United States authorities, European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding said.
Snowden went public about NSA surveillance programs Sunday in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian. As an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, a contractor for the U.S. electronic intelligence agency, he had been working at an NSA facility in Hawaii and had worked for the CIA in the past. Snowden was last heard from during interviews he conducted from a hotel room in Hong Kong, but his whereabouts are now unclear. He no longer works for the contractor.

Popular posts from this blog

G8 Northern Ireland summit: Syria set to top agenda

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version David Cameron and Vladimir Putin disagree on Syria but aim to build on "common ground" Continue reading the main story Syria conflict Behind the battle lines The city that died Who is arming whom? Guide to conflict The leaders of the G8 nations are to begin a summit in Northern Ireland, with Syria's conflict set to dominate. UK PM David Cameron met Russian leader Vladimir Putin - Syria's key ally - on Sunday. They will each hold separate talks with President Barack Obama, who has indicated he will arm the rebels. Mr Cameron, the host, is also keen to focus on global economic issues. He hopes to oversee the launch of talks for an EU-US free trade deal and achieve ...
Read more

Who is to blame for the rise of ISIL?

(FRANKS..)   n this Head to Head  special from Washington DC, Mehdi Hasan challenges retired Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, on the rise of ISIL, the War on Terror, torture, and how to deal with Iran. Flynn was the former head of the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and a commander of J-SOC, the ghost military unit whose squads hunted Al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan all the way to Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. With no panel or audience, we ask him whether the US is to blame for creating ISIL and whether the War on Terror has become a crusade. We also discuss torture in US bases and why he is opposed to a deal with Iran.    Follow us on:   Facebook and @AJHeadtoHead  Is the US to blame for ISIL? with Michael T. Flynn will be broadcast on Friday July 31 at 2000 GMT,  and will be repeated on Saturday August 1 at 1200 GMT, Saturday August 2 at 0100 GMT and Monday August 3 at 0600 GMT. Head to Head   is Al Jazeer...
Read more

Chibok abductions: Will Nigerian schoolgirls ever be freed?

(FRANKS..) Continue reading the main story Nigeria abductions Politics and parents Malala's appeal Hostage negotiations Military failings Six months since militant Islamist group Boko Haram sparked global outrage by abducting more than 200 girls from Chibok town in north-eastern Nigeria, the government has still failed to secure their release. The BBC's Will Ross spoke to the parents of some of the girls about their ordeal. In the remote farming community of Chibok, the agony is only getting worse. The parents and other relatives of the missing 219 school girls complain that they have been left to rely on a diet of rumour from the media and a long list of unfulfilled promises from the politicians. "The government must do more to get the girls back. Some parents are already dying. About six women have g...
Read more