They seek him here, the seek him there...

Edward Snowden may not be the scarlet Pimpernel but that did not stop an unusual search and seizure of a head of state in pursuit of him. Today the plane of President Evo Morales of Bolivia was forced to land in Vienna after Portugal and France refused airspace entry rights. The plane was forced to stay over night while Vienna officials searched the plane  while President Morales was kept in the VIP lounge.

Finally the Spanish ambassador to Vienna when asked what needed to be done to allow the plane to leave the Ambassador said "Lets have coffee on your plane". Later when asked who asked who wanted this search the ambassador's reply was "Friends of Spain." The coffee request is simply a rouse to get on the plane to eyeball it and verify that Edward Snowden was not on board.

In diplomatic terms this is an extraordinary violation of Bolivia's sovereignty on the level of storming an embassy. Essentially, it is unheard of in diplomatic circles. Technically it constitutes an act of  war, but it is unlikely to provoke such an extreme response.

As the search for Edward Snowden continues, an unnamed source confirmed "We have elephant tranquillizers and endoscopes ready, in case he attempts to hide in a trunk. We have been talking to our team at McMurdoe base. The impression we get it those emperor penguins are pretty shifty, and keep hiding something under those feathers." It also our understanding, SETI has been suspended, and assets including the large radio telescope at Arecebo have been re-tasked by a CIA request to search the local galactic group for signs of Edward Snowden  while the public are being told the array is in "hibernation". Researchers at SETI are reported to be excited by a new project, "We have a new exciting line of enquiry SDCI - Search District of Columbia Intelligence". Analysis by observers from several liberal democracies criticize the SDCI project with one saying it is a "hopeless waste of time and resources."

But perhaps, US officials are missing something, about the size of an airport passenger lounge, in Russia. Their first clue should perhaps that Russian officials are get tetchy with Edward Snowden lollygagging on their turf.