Arrest of WikiLeaks founder Assange ‘priority’ in US

JULIAN Assange’s arrest is a ‘priority’ for US authorities, America’s attorney general has said.

Prosecutors are believed to be preparing or considering charges against WikiLeaks and its founder, according to US reports.

WikiLeaks has a reputation for posting leaked information on US government activities. Last month, WikiLeaks released nearly 8,000 documents that it says reveal secrets about the CIA’s cyber-espionage tools for breaking into computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs.

Mr Assange has not left Ecuador’s embassy in London’s Knightsbridge since he walked through the door seeking political asylum in June 2012. He is wanted in Sweden over a sex allegation dating back to 2010. US attorney general Jeff Sessions was asked in a press conference whether it was a priority for him to arrest Mr Assange.

He said: ‘We are going to step up our effort and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks… We have professionals that have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks and some of them are quite serious. So yes, it is a priority.

‘We’ve already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail.’

Media network CNN says authorities are preparing to seek Mr Assange’s arrest.

But his lawyer, Barry Pollack, said he had not been made aware of any developments.

He added: ‘The Department of Justice should not be treating the publication of truthful information as a reason for a criminal investigation of the publisher.’