Earlier in the day, Associated Press reported that WikiLeaks employee Sarah Harrison told filmmakers, who are working on a documentary about the whistleblower, that the FSB has been trying to recruit Snowden, but he declined the offer.
According to Associated Press, the FSB approached Snowden while he was stuck in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport transit zone without documents after fleeing the United States.
In 2013, Snowden leaked information about the extensive electronic surveillance programs conducted by the US government around the globe, including eavesdropping on US citizens and foreign leaders. Back at home, Snowden is accused of theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified documents to an unauthorized person. Each of the three charges carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.
On August 1, 2013, Russian authorities granted Snowden temporary asylum in Russia for one year. In August 2014, the whistleblower received a three-year residence permit in Russia.
