US request for Assange

THE United States government has formally submitted an extradition request to the UK for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a Justice Department official said.

Assange faces an 18-count indictment that accuses him of soliciting and publishing classified information and of conspiring with former US Army private Chelsea Manning to crack a US Defence Department computer password.

The 47-year-old was evicted in April from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.