Embassy denies deal with UK to oust Assange

ECUADOR’S ambassador to Britain has denied that his country is about to forcibly end Julian Assange’s seven-year stay in its London embassy.

The Wikileaks founder, 47, has been inside the building in Knightsbridge since 2012 in a self-imposed exile while he fought sex allegations that were later dropped in Sweden. He is still a wanted man in the UK after skipping bail.

Reports on Thursday suggested that a deal had been done between Ecuador and the Metropolitan Police to hand over the Australian.

The Wikileaks Twitter feed claimed: ‘A high-level source within the Ecuadorian state has told [us] that Julian Assange will be expelled within “hours to days”... and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest.’

But Ecuador ambassador Jaime Marchan told reporters yesterday: ‘There is no change in Julian Assange’s situation. To say we are going to take him out of the embassy is an offence to Ecuador.’

Armed officers were outside the building and police confirmed there was still an active warrant for Assange’s arrest.