WikLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has been arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, ending his seven-year asylum spell there.
He appeared on Thursday afternoon at Westminster Magistrates Court, where he was found guilty of skipping bail. He will be sentenced at a later date.Assange was dragged out of the embassy — which you can watch in the video player above — on Wednesday after an extradition request by the US
Assange is wanted in the US over an investigation into WikiLeaks’ release of classified documents concerning the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the charge related specifically over conspiracy to commit computer intrusion “by cracking a password” with US whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who served 7 years in prison for the huge data leak.
She was sent back to prison last month after refusing to testify against WikiLeaks.
Assange’s conviction for breaching bail conditions in the UK dates back to 2012 — he was granted it during a case that would see him extradited to Sweden to face charges of rape and sexual assault. To avoid extradition, Assange took up asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy, where he had been until today.
Swedish prosecutors eventually dropped the rape charge in 2017, however, the alleged victim indicated on Thursday a wish to reopen the case, following Assange’s arrest.
Chief Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren said Sweden was watching the developments but was not yet able to “take a position” with the information available.
Why was Assange’s asylum revoked?
Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said the decision to remove Assange’s asylum was made over “repeated violations” to international conventions and “daily life protocols.”
In a brief video statement, Moreno described Assange’s behaviour as “discourteous and aggressive,” claiming the 47-year-old had made “hostile and threatening declarations” against his country.
“The patience of Ecuador has reached its limit,” Moreno said.The Ecuadorian leader specifically cited WikiLeaks’ release of a batch of Vatican documents earlier this year, before listing a number of activities at the embassy in London that he did not agree with.
Assange had installed electronic distortion equipment, blocked security cameras, accessed security files “without permission”, and had “confronted and mistreated” embassy staff, he alleged.
Stressing the importance of human rights, Moreno requested the UK do not extradite Assange to a country where he could face the death penalty, such as the US.