US is major hacker, says whistleblower Edward Snowden
US whistleblower Edward Snowden claims Washington is a major cyber hacker and attacked thousands of targets over the past few years, including sensitive government and business computer networks in China.
Mr Snowden remains in hiding in Hong Kong, promising to fight the likely US charges and attempts to extradite him over the enormous intelligence leak.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post newspaper, Mr Snowden, 29, said he was safe in Hong Kong despite the territory being under Chinese control.
The former CIA analyst exposed one of the US's largest secret surveillance programs, known as PRISM, operated by the National Security Agency.
The leaks revealed that the NSA had kept a log of the calls made by millions of Americans and had targeted foreign internet users.
"I am neither traitor nor hero," Mr Snowden told the Hong Kong-based newspaper in only his second interview since fleeing the US on May 20. "People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice, I am here to reveal criminality."
Most observers believe Mr Snowden will be charged and extradited to the US for his role in the PRISM furore. The US and Hong Kong have an extradition treaty but it is thought that Beijing would be reluctant to enter the fray.
In the interview, Mr Snowden claimed that Washington was a major cyber hacker and had carried out attacks around the world.
The allegations came after Washington accused Beijing of sanctioning a designated cyber hacking unit operated by the People's Liberation Army.
The Chinese government has consistently denied the claims.
"We hack network backbones like huge internet routers, basically that gives us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one," Mr Snowden said.
"Last week, the US government operated in the shadows with no respect for the consent of the governed, but no longer. Every level of society is demanding accountability and oversight."
The new claims came as the NSA chief General Keith Alexander appeared before US congress to say the clandestine project had helped stopped terror attacks.
"It's classified but it's dozens of terrorist events that these have helped prevent," he said. "I want the American people to know that we're being transparent here.
"Great damage has already been done by opening this up."
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