WikiLeaks Live Tweets Glenn Greenwald's Flight to US

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Image: Adam Berry/Getty Images, Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press

By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai2014-04-11 14:25:19 UTC

Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, two of the journalists Edward Snowden chose as recipients of the leaked cache of NSA secret documents that dominated headlines across the world for months, are about to land in the United States — and WikiLeaks wants you to track their flight.

The anti-secrecy organization tweeted on Friday morning to alert its followers that Greenwald and Poitras were about to land in New York, where they're scheduled to accept the Polk Award for their reporting on the NSA leaks. WikiLeaks even published the two journalists' alleged flight number.

See also: This Is How the NSA Is Trying to Win Over the Media

After that first update, WikiLeaks went on to basically live tweet their flight's progress.

It's unclear why WikiLeaks is doing this, but Greenwald's and Poitras' flight is newsworthy because this is the first time both journalists are going to be in the United States after breaking the NSA stories. WikiLeaks presumably wants to draw attention to their entrance in the U.S., in case there are any delays at customs.

In the past few months Greenwald has repeatedly said he wouldn't feel safe coming to the United States in the current political climate. In January, Director of National Intelligence Jams Clapper implied that the journalists working with Snowden are "accomplices" during a congressional hearing, and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said Greenwald should be prosecuted for his reporting.

Moreover, Poitras has often been stopped at the U.S. border and detained for hours for no apparent reason, which gives supporters of the two journalists some reason for concern.

But Greenwald told The Huffington Post on Thursday that he's not afraid.

"I shouldn’t allow those tactics to stop me from returning to my own country," he said.

Greenwald and Poitras' flight is scheduled to land at 11:16 a.m. EDT, according to FlightAware.

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Topics: edward snowden, glenn greenwald, Laura Poitras, Media, NSA, U.S., US & World, WikiLeaks, World