Source of US spy stories reveals himself, flees US US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, an analyst with a US defence contractor, is seen in this still image taken from a video during an interview with the Guardian in his hotel room in Hong Kong June 6, 2013. Edward Snowden, the man behind one of the most significant security leaks in American history, has revealed himself to be a 29-year-old systems analyst who had worked for a private security contractor for just three months. As he outed himself via the Guardian newspaper the US government appeared to lock itself down on the issue. A White House spokesman said no comment would be made overnight in Washington, while a spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, said in a statement that the agency was assessing and referred all further questions to the Department of Justice, which had made no statement by Sunday evening in Washington. Mr Snowden revealed that he was the source behind reports in the Guardian last week that the US government had created a vast program to track phone calls and Internet use in and through America. Speaking from Hong Kong, where he had fled before his leaks were made public, Mr Snowden said he had leaked details of the program for idealistic reasons. The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things ... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under. We hack everyone everywhere. We like to make a distinction between us and the others. But we are in almost every country in the world. We are not at war with these countries. Mr Snowden said he had chosen Hong Kong because, "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent." On Saturday Booz Allen, a contractor with the NSA confirmed that it had employed Mr Snowden, who lived and worked in Hawaii, just three months ago. In a statement the company said the leak was "a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm." Previously Snowden had worked as a systems analyst for the CIA. The Guardian reported that three weeks ago he told his employer he needed leave for medical reasons and he told his girlfriend that he was going away. Since stories based on his leaks broke he has been sitting in his hotel monitoring the news. He says he believes the US government will do whatever it can to secure his return to face charges and that he does not "expect to see home again." Former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes agrees. He told CNN the Justice department would likely first bring charges against him, and then begin extradition proceedings. He said to force China's hand the State Department could cancel his passport. Without a passport meaning he would be in Hong Kong illegally and the government would have to either harbour him or deport him. The debate over the extent of the US's spying operation against its citizens has already exploded. Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked what became known as the Pentagon Papers, said today on CNN that Mr Snowden had done an "incalculable" service to his country and that his leaks might prevent America from becoming a surveillance state. He said Mr Snowden had acted with the same sort of courage and patriotism as a soldier in battle. Already online campaigns for his pardon have begun, and a protest called Restore the Fourth, in reference to the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unfair search and seizure is being planned. The Republican congressman Peter King offered the other common view, telling NBC News, "If Edward Snowden did in fact leak the NSA data as he claims, the United States government must prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law and begin extradition proceedings at the earliest date. The United States must make it clear that no country should be granting this individual asylum. This is a matter of extraordinary consequence to American intelligence.