New Snowden Leak: NSA Hacked Al Jazeera

The latest Snowden document release reveals that the NSA spied on Arab news broadcaster Al Jazeera, hacking into its internal communications system, reports Der Spiegel. A document from 2006 says the NSA's Network Analysis Center accessed and read communication by "interesting targets" at the Qatar-based news network, then forwarded it on to other NSA departments for more analysis. The document claims those targeted had "high potential as sources of intelligence," and labels the operation as a "notable success."

The document does not reveal how widespread the surveillance of Al Jazeera journalists and staff was, nor how long it continued. But, notes Der Spiegel, it does give us an even broader picture of just how far the NSA's international surveillance program reaches. Other Snowden leaks today revealed new details of the government's growing cyberwar program. (More al-Jazeera stories.)