Snowden Accepts Asylum Offer

National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has accepted an offer for asylum in Venezuela, according to a tweet sent Tuesday byRussian parliamentary spokesman Alexei Pushko. However, the tweet was deleted thereafter and it was not immediately certain why.

On Monday, President Nicholas Maduro said he hadreceived a formal asylum request from Snowden after the country offered him asylum last week. The Venezuelan government is now waiting for a response from Snowden, who has reportedly been in Moscow in the airport's transit zone since June 23.