Snowden wants to return to US if he is tried fairly

NEW YORK

Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden said Tuesday and he wants to return to the U.S. if a fair trial is guaranteed.

"I want to go back to the U.S., that's the ultimate goal,” the former National Security Agency contractor and whistle-blower told CBS. “If I'm going to spend the rest of my life in prison, my only demand is that is a fair trial, but the American government doesn't guarantee it because it won't allow me to benefit from the public interest defense,"

His book, Permanent Record, will be published Tuesday.

Snowden, who leaked thousands of documents detailing a long-term surveillance program by the U.S. government, was granted asylum by Russia in 2013 after he was charged with espionage.

His residence permit in Russia was extended until 2020.