Hong Kong Seen as Likely to Extradite Leaker if U.S. Asks By Ben Werschkul, Pedro Rafael Rosado, Channon Hodge, Marcus Mabry and Alyssa Kim Glenn Greenwald/Laura Poitras/European Pressphoto Agency Reaction to the Snowden Leak: The Times's Mark Mazzetti on how a low-level contractor was able to leak vast amounts of classified information, and the reaction it caused in Washington. HONG KONG - In choosing Hong Kong as an initial place to take refuge from the United States government, the National Security Agency contractor who has acknowledged leaking documents has selected a jurisdiction where it may be possible to delay extradition but not avoid it, legal and law enforcement experts here said. The contractor, Edward J. Snowden, was apparently still in Hong Kong at 12:30 p.m. Monday. The Mira Hotel, an elegant boutique hotel on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbor, said Monday evening that he had stayed at the hotel but checked out at that time. It was not clear whether Mr. Snowden remained in Hong Kong or left the territory, which is part of China but has a high degree of autonomy. The hotel gave no further information, and the Hong Kong government declined to discuss Mr. Snowden's whereabouts, citing a policy of not commenting on individual cases. "All cases will be handled in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong," the government said in a brief statement. The United States Consulate in Hong Kong referred questions to the Justice Department in Washington, which has said only that it is in the initial stages of an investigation into the release of information about government programs to monitor telephone and Internet communications. The Obama administration has said the programs were focused on the communications of people who were not American citizens. But Mr. Snowden asserted in a video interview, released by the Guardian newspaper of Britain on Sunday, that the scale of the surveillance was much broader and involved the recording of a vast array of communications in the United States and elsewhere. Hong Kong was a British colony before its return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, and it still follows the legal system it inherited from the British, with broad protections for civil liberties. Mr. Snowden told The Guardian that he had fled here because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent." But Hong Kong won that reputation mainly as a place where Chinese political dissidents sought refuge from mainland authorities, not people sought by other governments. The Hong Kong authorities have worked closely with law enforcement agencies in the United States for years and have usually accepted requests for extradition under longstanding bilateral agreements, according to Regina Ip, a former secretary of security who is now a member of the territory's legislature. "He won't find Hong Kong a safe harbor," Ms. Ip said. Those agreements have been enforced for more than 10 years. If the U.S. submits a request, we would act in accordance with the law. Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher with Human Rights Watch who is based in Hong Kong, wondered why Mr. Snowden would have considered the territory a good place to stay after he left Hawaii three weeks ago. "If he took time to talk with a lawyer, he would have decided somewhere else was a better prospect" to avoid extradition, Mr. Bequelin said. His explanation of his choice of Hong Kong was a bit off. The Hong Kong Police Force would not arrest him unless he broke a Hong Kong law or the United States issued an Interpol notice or sent a warrant, said Stephen Vickers, a former head of the force's intelligence division who now runs his own risk consulting firm. But he said the police probably began monitoring Mr. Snowden as soon as word spread that he had taken responsibility for the leaks. The Hong Kong authorities have generally been willing to extradite suspects when the United States sends a warrant, said Jonathan Acton-Bond, a barrister and former magistrate who has represented clients in some of the best-known extradition cases here. Hong Kong enforces extradition laws more than other jurisdictions in Southeast Asia, Mr. Acton-Bond said. But Hong Kong did not follow Britain's example after the Sept. 11 attacks of lowering the standard of legal evidence required before approving extradition to the United States. Hong Kong also has legal protections against politically motivated extradition cases, but they have seldom been invoked.