Legal adviser says Snowden ready to return to US if amnesty guaranteed

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's legal advisor has reportedly said that the whistleblower is ready to return to the US, provided the government guarantees he won't face prosecution.

Legal advisor Jesselyn Radack said that Snowden would be willing to enter negotiations with Attorney General Eric Holder about his return but would need assurances of getting amnesty.

According to Cnet, Holder, staunch critic of Snowden's revelations, had earlier said that the US would be open to negotiations with the whistleblower but granting him amnesty 'would be going too far.'

However, Radck said that it is little disheartening that Holder seemed to take clemency and amnesty off the table, which are two of the negotiating points. Radack further said that Snowden has been punished quite a bit already by the US revocation of his passport, and he currently serves a temporary asylum in Russia for revealing classified data about the US' alleged mass surveillance programmes.

The revelations that led to a tiff between the US and its allies, soured relations between tech companies and their clients and forced US President Barack Obama to announce formal changes to the snoop activities; have seen the Congress divided on whether the leaks were in public interest or threatened nation's security, leaving the 30-year-old's future in deep doubts.