Ex-spy says NSA did mass surveillance during Utah Olympics

FILE - Fireworks light up near the Olympic flame during the closing ceremony of the XIX Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2002. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A former top spy agency official who was the target of a government leak investigation says the National Security Agency conducted “blanket” surveillance in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.

Ex-NSA official Thomas Drake says in court documents released Friday that the NSA collected and stored virtually all electronic communications going into or out of the Salt Lake City area, including the contents of emails and text messages.

Drake writes that he spoke with colleagues who worked on the program and saw documents sending surveillance equipment to Utah.

Former CIA and National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden has denied running such a program.

Drake’s declaration comes in a lawsuit filed by attorney Rocky Anderson, who was the mayor of Salt Lake City during the games.

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