WikiLeaks co-founder arrested in London
LONDON: WikiLeaks cofounder Julian Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
London’s Metropolitan Police said that he was arrested for failing to appear in front of the court.
Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over an assault case that has since been dropped.
Ecuador’s president Lenin Moreno said it withdrew Mr Assange’s asylum after his repeated violations to international conventions. But WikiLeaks tweeted that Ecuador had acted illegally in terminating Mr Assange’s political asylum “in violation of international law”.
UK’s Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted, “I can confirm Julian Assange is now in police custody and rightly facing justice in the UK. “I would like to thank Ecuador for its cooperation and the MET Police for its professionalism. No one is above the law.” Assange will remain in the custody of the UK and will face charges at Westminster Magistrates’ Court “as soon as is possible.”
Assange refused to leave the embassy earlier claiming that he would be extradited to the US where he would be questioned about the activates of WikiLeaks.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison ruled out any ‘’special treatment” for Assange following his arrest.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out any “special treatment” for Julian Assange after his arrest in London.
The founder of WikiLeaks was found guilty of breaching bail at Westminster Magistrates Court and will face up to 12 months’ imprisonment.
The US has also lodged an extradition request for Assange, alleging that he engaged in a conspiracy with Chelsea Manning to leak classified data.
Morrison said that the government has received a request for consular assistance from Assange.
“He will get the consular assistance as you would expect him to but he will have to make his way through whatever has come his way in terms of the justice system there,” the prime minister told reporters.
“He won’t be getting special treatment from Australia. He will be getting the same treatment that any other Australian would get in circumstances.
“When Australians travel overseas and the find themselves in difficulties with the law, they face the judicial systems of those countries,” Morrison also added.
He said, “It doesn’t matter what particular crime it is that they’re alleged to have committed, that’s the way the system works.”
Sweden is reportedly considering re-opening the assault charges.