Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has sent feelers to return home and Washington officials are ready to take him back, provided he will face the criminal charges that have been filed against him.

Snowden, for his part, had demanded that he be given a fair trial on the charges that he leaked extensive secrets of electronic surveillance programs of the National Security Agency.

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According to Anatory Kucherena, a Russian lawyer for the fugitive Snowden, his client had been in contact with American and German lawyers regarding his desire to go back to the U.S.

Snowden had been granted an asylum by Moscow in 2013 and requests for his extradition had been reportedly refused.

Snowden had become a divisive figure because, while others condemned him as a traitor because he compromised the security of the United States,  some civil rights advocate praised him. 

His lawyer, who wrote a book about Snowden, pictured him as a "heroic and open person," with "principles and conviction."

But for U.S. officials, Snowden is not a whistleblower but someone who leaked classified information, and has done serious harm on the national security of the country. 

U.S. Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi has been quoted to say that the government position is that Snowden returns to the U.S. and face the charges against him.

The U.S. official also assured Snowden of due process and protection.

Born in North Carolina, Snowden worked for the National Security Agency  through a subcontractor in its Oahu office.  

According to reports, he then started to collect top-secret documents on NSA's domestic surveillance practices and later fled to Hong Kong where he leaked the documents. 

The U.S. government then charged Snowden under the Espionage Act.  Snowden was then granted an asylum in Russia and the U.S. had been working for his extradition.

Citizenfour, a documentary on his story, recently won an Oscar award.

TagsEdward Snowden, NSA spy