Julian Assange arrested under US extradition warrant following expulsion from Embassy of Ecuador in London
Home Office: "Julian Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America."
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested by Metropolitan Police today following his expulsion from the Embassy of Ecuador in London.
Within the last hour, the Home Office has confirmed that Assange was arrested under an extradition warrant from the US.
He is accused in the United States of America of computer related offences
"We can confirm that Julian Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America," said a Home Office spokesperson in a statement. "He is accused in the United States of America of computer related offences."
Assange's expulsion from the Embassy of Ecuador in London comes after Ecuador revoked his diplomatic asylum request.
Assange has spent seven years closeted in the Embassy after being accused of sexual assault in Sweden in 2010. Assange claims that the charges were politically motivated and, although they were dropped in May 2017, can be resumed before August 2020 under Sweden's statute of limitations.
However, it now appears as if he will be going direct to the US, if his extradition is approved, rather than via Sweden.
"Ecuador withdrew the asylum status to Julian Assange after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols," claimed Ecuadorian president Lenín Moreno. WikiLeaks, meanwhile, claimed that Moreno had acted "in violation of international law".
While Assange may or may not face sexual assault charges in Sweden, he may also - or instead - be extradited to the US to face charges there over the release by WikiLeaks of US National Security Agency and CIA hacking tools.
In November, the US Department of Justice indicated in a document accidentally filed in court that Assange had already been charged in secret. The Wall Street Journal also reported that the US had made preparations to prosecute Assange.
The eviction of Assange from the Ecuador Embassy in London had been facilitated by the change in presidency in Ecuador from Rafael Correa, who had served three terms, to his vice president Lenín Moreno. His eviction from the Embassy had been expected for some time.
"Julian Assange is no hero and no one is above the law. He has hidden from the truth for years. Thank you Ecuador and President Lenín Moreno for your cooperation with the Foreign Office to ensure Assange faces justice," tweeted foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Home secretary Sajid Javid added: "Nearly seven years after entering the Ecuadorian embassy, 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 the Metropolitan police for its professionalism. No one is above the law."
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