A Hong Kong news outlet said Wednesday that it landed the first interview with Edward Snowden since the 29-year-old former government contractor outed himself as the source the recent National Security Agency leaks.
“I’m neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American,” Snowden said, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Morning Post said that Snowden confirmed he is still lying low in Hong Kong, and that he insisted he isn’t hiding.
“People who think I made a mistake in picking HK as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality,” Snowden said, according to the outlet.
The report quoted him as saying his “intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong” to decide his fate, adding: “I have been given no reason to doubt your system.”
The South China Morning Post said it will run the entire interview later on Wednesday.
