Edward Snowden could be whisked back to the United States very quickly if Interpol gets involved and issues a so-called "red notice," according to top criminal attorney Douglas McNabb.
"Interpol 'red notices' can be done very quickly, I mean within an hour at the most," McNabb told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
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"In terms of criminal complaint . . . you don't have to constitute a federal grand jury. It would be the affidavit prepared by a federal agent with the assistance of a federal prosecutor."
A "red notice" is an international request for cooperation allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information, according to Interpol, an worldwide intergovernmental organization.
Snowden — wanted by the United States after leaking top secret information about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs — is believed to be hiding out in Hong Kong.
"It is a red notice that's sent out on international fugitives . . . to 190 member countries and it says look, 'There are charges out of the US, if you find this guy and arrest him . . . [and place] him in extradition proceedings," McNabb said.
"If Mr. Snowden is aware of what Interpol is and the 'red notices' and if he's in Hong Kong, he may know he can't leave Hong Kong for fear of being arrested. So it land locks him."
But Interpol's influence could be weakened if Snowden is able to flee to a country without an extradition treaty with the U.S., such as China.
"We do [have a treaty with] Hong Kong, but not China," according to McNabb, a senior principle at McNabb Associates, P.C.
"That's not to say that China or Russia or some other country couldn't voluntarily turn him over if they wanted to do that."
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