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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London

Assange, sporting a long white beard and wagging a finger, shouted as he was carried out and hauled into a police van.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange shouted as he was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in central London and now faces charges in the United States.

Assange was detained by British police and carried out of the Ecuadorian embassy after his South American hosts abruptly revoked his asylum, paving the way for his extradition to the US.

The WikiLeaks founder, sporting a long white beard and wagging a finger, shouted "UK must resist" as he was taken away in handcuffs by seven men and hauled into a police van.

Listen to "Wikileaks: What next for Julian Assange after arrest?" on Spreaker.

He has been in the building for nearly seven years after seeking refuge to avoid extradition to Sweden.

WikiLeaks said on Twitter that the Ecuadorian ambassador "invited British police into the embassy" and Mr Assange was immediately arrested.

Scotland Yard said Assange, 47, was being held on behalf of the US authorities, as well as for breaching his original bail conditions.

Assange appeared in a London court shortly after his arrest and was found guilty of breaching his bail. He faces up to 12 months in jail for the conviction in the UK, and has serious charges pending in the United States.

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Julian Assange after was arrested by British police outside Westminster Magistrates Court
Image: Assange pictured outside Westminster Magistrates Court following his arrest

Following the arrest, US Department of Justice said he was being held in connection with a federal charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for agreeing to break a password to a classified government computer. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in an American prison if convicted.

The judge said the US must produce its case for requesting his extradition from Britain by 12 June.

Speaking in the House of Commons after Assange's detention, Theresa May said his arrest showed that "no one is above the law".

The prime minister's spokesperson said Britain had not lobbied for his asylum to be revoked.


In a tweet, he thanked the government of Ecuador for its cooperation on the arrest.

"Everybody wants to bring this to an end," Europe minister Sir Alan Duncan told Sky News. "Anyone who's been holed up in a room for seven years is really going to suffer, mentally and physically, so just on a human level it was important that this was brought to an end."

Sir Alan said they were grateful to Ecuador's government under President Lenín Moreno for the action they have taken and that today's events follow "extensive dialogue between our two countries".

Mr Moreno said in a video statement released on Twitter: "Today I announce that that the discourteous and aggressive behaviour of Mr Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of its allied organisation, against Ecuador, and especially the transgression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable."

Mr Moreno said he asked UK officials to guarantee that Assange would not be extradited to a country where he could face torture or the death penalty.

"The British government has confirmed it in writing," Mr Moreno added.

WikiLeaks said Ecuador had acted illegally in terminating Assange's political asylum "in violation of international law". His relationship with his hosts collapsed after Ecuador accused him of leaking information about Mr Moreno's personal life.

His attorney, Barry J Pollack, said it was "bitterly disappointing" that a country would allow someone to whom it has extended asylum to be arrested in its embassy.

"First and foremost, we hope that the UK will now give Assange access to proper health care, which he has been denied for seven years," Mr Pollack said.

"Once his health care needs have been addressed, the UK courts will need to resolve what appears to be an unprecedented effort by the United States seeking to extradite a foreign journalist to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information."

Speaking outside court, WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said: "Anyone who wants the press to be free should consider the implications of this case."

How much damage did Snowden&#39;s leaks do?
Image: Edward Snowden said Assange's arrest was 'a dark moment for press freedom'

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who lives in exile in Russia, said in a tweet that images of Assange's arrest are going to end up in the history books.

"Assange's critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom," Mr Snowden wrote.

Actress Pamela Anderson, who called on world leaders to intervene to free Assange while he was still at the embassy, tweeted that she was "in shock" and accused Ecuadorian, UK and US officials of complicity in his arrest.

Assange was holding a copy of Gore Vidal's "History of the National Security State" when he was brought out of the embassy. He continued reading it in court.

Pamela Anderson&#39;s tweet
Image: Actress Pamela Anderson responded to Julian Assange's arrest on Twitter

The WikiLeaks founder has been living in Ecuador's London embassy since 2012 after he sought refuge there following a British judge ruling he should be extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.

Sweden dropped the case in 2017 but Assange remained in the London embassy as he feared being extradited to the US to face charges over the WikiLeaks website's release of sensitive US government files.

A Swedish lawyer representing the alleged victim in a rape investigation involving Assange said following his arrest that she would push to have prosecutors reopen the probe.

His arrest comes a day after WikiLeaks accused the Ecuadorian government of an "extensive spying operation" against Assange.

WikiLeaks claims meetings with lawyers and a doctor inside the embassy over the past year were secretly filmed.

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