Sweden drops rape investigation against WikiLeaks founder

London — Swedish prosecutors on Friday dropped their investigation into a rape allegation against Julian Assange, closing a nearly seven-year legal saga that led the WikiLeaks founder to seek sanctuary at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London.

But British police said that Assange still faces arrest on charges of jumping bail if he walks out of diplomatic protection, which Assange claims is still needed to keep him from being extradited to the United States on charges of disclosing confidential military and diplomatic documents.

He took refuge in the embassy in 2012.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement that Sweden’s director of public prosecution, Marianne Ny, “today decided to discontinue the investigation” into a rape claim against Assange.

Assange has disputed the rape allegations. He also argued that he risked being extradited by Sweden to the United States and tried for espionage.

Assange’s lawyer, Per Samuelson, said in an email statement that Assange had “proved his innocence.” The case was closed, he wrote, “because an innocent man proved he was not guilty!”

But Swedish officials said the decision only drops the case and is not a ruling on Assange’s guilt or innocence.

The lawyer for Assange’s accuser said it was a “scandal” that the case was not tried in court.

“My client is shocked, and no closure decision can get her to change that Assange has exposed her to a rape,” said her lawyer, Elisabeth Massi Fritz.

WikiLeaks said the focus would now shift to Britain. “U.K. refuses to confirm or deny whether it has already received a U.S. extradition warrant for Julian Assange,” the anti-secrecy website tweeted.

The silver-haired activist made a rare appearance on the balcony of the embassy late Friday afternoon with a clenched fist in the air.