NSA bosses divided over providing amnesty to Snowden

The National Security Agency executives are reportedly in a split about the idea of providing amnesty to whistleblower Edward Snowden who revealed classified data about the controversial mass surveillance programmes by the US.

NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander has made Rick Leggett as in charge of the Snowden leak task force.

According to CBS News, the task force is intended to avoid future leaks and is also analyzing how much damage Snowden has caused, who is currently in Russia under temporary asylum and is believed to still have access to 1.5 million classified documents he has not leaked.

About Snowden's willingness of returning to the US provided he is provided amnesty, Leggett said that personally he would like to have a conversation about it as he would need assurances that the remaining data could be secured.

However, Alexander holds a contrasting view as he said that it is analogous to a hostage-taker taking 50 people hostage, shooting 10 and then say, "If you give me full amnesty, I'll let the other 40 go.

He further said that people have to be held accountable for their actions if they do not want the next person to do the same thing.

The report added that both the NSA officials and ex- NSA Director Michael Hayden said that they would be sadly disappointed in the intelligence services if the Russians hadn't gotten the material that Snowden possesses.