Bolivian President's Plane Rerouted Amid Suspicion Edward Snowden On Board

A diplomatic crisis engulfing three continents was sparked at midnight after the plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales was rerouted to Austria after France and Portugal refused to let it cross their airspace - suspecting whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board. But officials in both Austria and Bolivia said that Snowden was not on the plane taking Morales home from a summit in Russia. Bolivia is one of 21 countries where Snowden applied for asylum, and Morales had hinted in a TV interview that the country was considering the request.

Defence Minister Ruben Saavedra said in a statement to reporters at the airport "this is a plot by the US government to destroy president Morales' image." Calling a late night press conference in La Paz, a visibly seething David Choquehuanca, Bolivia's foreign minister said that France and Portugal had put the life of their president at risk and that it was an "invented lie" that Snowden was on board.

The plane landed briefly in Spain to refuel before being diverted to Vienna. Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Schallenberg told The Associated Press that Snowden was not with Morales. Other South American countries also expressed indignation.

[link to www.huffingtonpost.co.uk]