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US Secretary of State John Kerry has labelled intelligence leaker Edward Snowden a fugitive from justice who should "man up" and return home, the BBC reported.

Mr Kerry added that if Mr Snowden, 30, "believes in America, he should trust the American system of justice."

His comments come in the wake of an interview with NBC in which Mr Snowden said he sought asylum in Russia because the US revoked his passport.

Mr Snowden also described himself as a trained spy, not a low-level analyst.

"A patriot would not run away," Mr Kerry said on Wednesday. "If Mr Snowden wants to come back to the United States... we'll have him on a flight today."

Mr Kerry also called the former National Security Agency contractor "confused", adding "this is a man who has done great damage to his country."

The secretary of state's comments come just hours before Mr Snowden's interview with NBC anchor Brian Williams is set to air.

Portions of the interview released earlier show Mr Snowden claim he was trained as a spy who worked undercover overseas for the CIA and NSA.

But he described himself as a technical expert who did not recruit agents.