NSA leaker Edward Snowden was apparently staying in this swanky hotel in Hong Kong—until this morning, when he checked out for places unknown.

Based on the "elegant bedside lamp" visible in his video interview with The Guardian, the Wall Street Journal and other outlets tracked Snowden—or someone using his name—to the Mira Hotel Hong Kong, a self-described "design hotel" near Kowloon park on the mainland, only to find that he was on his way out:

The Mira Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, a waterfront area popular with tourists, said that an American named Edward Snowden had checked into the hotel on June 1 and stayed for more than a week before checking out Monday afternoon. The hotel is a luxury property that, according to its web site, promises “matchless indulgence for the young-at-heart modern traveler,” where room rates can go for more than $300 a night. [...]

A man reached at the Mira Hotel in a room under Mr. Snowden’s name said he wasn’t the person reporters were looking for and then hung up the phone. On dialing the hotel again, the reception said Mr. Snowden’s room was no longer taking phone calls. A few minutes after that, the hotel said Mr. Snowden had checked out.

It seems, to say the least, odd that a former CIA operative who leaked highly classified documents to a newspaper would use his real name, especially when he's described as being so paranoid that he only logs into his computer under a hood that protects his keystrokes from prying eyes. Also odd is the fact that the Mira clerk says Snowden (or "Snowden") stayed for just over a week when Snowden, in his Guardian video, says he's barely left the hotel for three weeks.

Or maybe we're just being paranoid! Who wouldn't be, at this point.

[image via Wikipedia]