Bolivia leader's jet diverted 'amid Snowden suspicions'
Bolivian President Evo Morales's plane had to be diverted to Austria amid suspicion that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was on board, the Bolivian foreign minister has said, according to BBC.
Officials in both Austria and Bolivia said Mr Snowden was not on the plane.
France and Portugal reportedly refused to allow the Moscow-Bolivia flight to cross their airspace.
Mr Snowden is reportedly seeking asylum in Bolivia and 20 other countries to avoid extradition to the US.
Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca told reporters on Tuesday that France and Portugal had closed their airspace over the "huge lie" that Mr Snowden, 30, was on board.
"We don't know who invented this lie, but we want to denounce to the international community this injustice with the plane of President Evo Morales," he said.