Edward Snowden charged with espionage

Aauthorities have reportedly filed espionage charges against rogue intelligence technician Edward Snowden and asked Hong Kong authorities to detain him.

Citing US govement officials, the Washington Post says that a sealed criminal complaint had been lodged with a court in an easte district of the US state of Virginia and a provisional arrest warrant had been issued.

Snowden was charged with espionage, theft and ''conversion of govement property'' - the criminal misuse of govement property - according to the Post.

Federal officials would not immediately confirm the report.

Snowden's employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, a private company that seconded him to work as a contractor for the National Security Agency in Hawaii, is based in Virginia and prosecutors there often handle security cases.pe

The 30-year-old technician fled Hawaii on May 20 and flew to Hong Kong, an autonomous Chinese territory, from where he proceeded to leak details of secret US intelligence programs to inteational media outlets.

Following reports of the sealed complaint all eyes will tu to Hong Kong and Beijing to see whether they will comply with the provisional warrant and hold Snowden.