Copenhagen, February 6 (RHC)-- Denmark’s justice minister has admitted that the U.S. sent a rendition flight to Copenhagen Airport that was meant to capture whistleblower Edward Snowden and return him to the United States.

The revelation that the U.S. landed a private aircraft in Copenhagen intended to abduct Snowden in June 2013 was first reported last month by the Danish online media Denfri, but Danish officials initially denied the report. 
 
On Friday, however, it was reported that Justice Minister Søren Pind told parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee that the Danish government did allow the Americans to use both Danish airspace and the airport knowing full well that the aircraft was intended to take a captured Snowden back to the United States. 
 
“The purpose of the plane’s presence at Copenhagen Airport was apparently to have the ability to transport Edward Snowden to the USA in case he was delivered from Russia or another country,” Pind said in a written statement. 
 
Denfri first broke the news after obtaining heavily-redacted documents from the Justice Ministry to follow up on a 2014 report from The Register that revealed that a U.S. government jet previously used on CIA rendition flights was sent to Europe with the goal of nabbing Snowden.  That report stated that the flight landed and waited at Copenhagen Airport, something that was never confirmed by Danish authorities. 
 
Documents Denfri obtained from the Justice Ministry confirmed that the U.S.-owned Gulfstream aircraft was given permission to land in Copenhagen as Snowden was stranded at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport waiting for Russia to grant him asylum.