Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Prime Minister of Yemen’s Houthi Government Killed in Israeli Strike

3 days ago

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Redrawing Congressional Maps

4 days ago

US Air Force will Offer Military Funeral Honors to Slain Capitol Rioter

4 days ago

US Republican Senator Joni Ernst Will Not Run for Re-Election, CBS News Reports

4 days ago

Wall Street Falls as Dell, Nvidia Drive Tech Losses

4 days ago

US Denies Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

4 days ago

Minneapolis Children Revealed Courage, Absorbed Fear During Church Shooting

5 days ago

Ford Recalls Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Brake Fluid Leak

5 days ago

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

5 days ago
WikiLeaks' Assange Arrested in London; US Charge Unveiled
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
April 11, 2019

Share

LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was forcibly bundled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and into a British police van on Thursday, setting up a potential court battle over attempts to extradite him to the U.S. to face charges related to the publication of tens of thousands of secret government documents.
Police arrested Assange after the South American nation decided to revoke the political asylum that had given him sanctuary for almost seven years. Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno said he took the action due to “repeated violations to international conventions and daily life.”
In Washington, the U.S. Justice Department accused Assange with conspiring with Chelsea Manning to break into a classified government computer at the Pentagon. The charge was announced after Assange was taken into custody.
His lawyer has previously said that Assange planned to fight any U.S. charges against him.
Assange took refuge in the embassy in 2012 after he was released on bail in Britain while facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations that have since been dropped. He refused to leave the embassy, fearing arrest and extradition to the U.S. for publishing classified military and diplomatic cables through WikiLeaks.

Photo of police carrying Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian Embassy
Police carry WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after he was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody Thursday April 11, 2019. Police in London arrested WikiLeaks founder Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy Thursday, April 11, 2019 for failing to surrender to the court in 2012, shortly after the South American nation revoked his asylum. (@DailyDOOH/PA via AP)

Assange Used the Embassy as a Staging Post

Over the years, Assange used the embassy as a staging post to keep his name before the public, frequently making appearances on its tiny balcony, posing for pictures and reading statements. Even his cat became well-known.

“Mr. Assange’s behavior is that of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests. He hasn’t come close to establishing ‘reasonable excuse.'” District Judge Michael Snow
But his presence was an embarrassment to U.K. authorities, who for years kept a police presence around the clock outside the embassy, costing taxpayers millions in police overtime. Such surveillance was removed years ago, but the embassy remained a vocal point for his activities.
Video posted online by Ruptly, a news service of Russia Today, showed several men in suits pulling Assange out of the embassy and loading him into a police van while uniformed British police formed a passageway. Assange sported a full beard and slicked-back gray hair.
He later appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where District Judge Michael Snow wasted no time in finding him guilty of breaching his bail conditions, flatly rejecting his assertion that he had not had a fair hearing and a reasonable excuse for not appearing.
“Mr. Assange’s behavior is that of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests,” Snow said. “He hasn’t come close to establishing ‘reasonable excuse.'”
Assange waved to the packed public gallery as he was taken away to the cells. His next appearance was set for May 2 via prison video-link in relation to the extradition case.
Speaking in Parliament, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the arrest shows that “no one is above the law.”
Photo of indictment against Julian Assange
The Grand Jury Indictment against Julian Assange, released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Thursday, April 11, 2019, is photographed in Washington. The U.S. Justice Department has charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with conspiring with Chelsea Manning to break into a classified government computer. (AP Photo/Wayne Partlow)

Assange Has Been Under U.S. Justice Department Scrutiny for Years

Moreno said in a video posted on Twitter that Ecuador was no longer willing to give Assange protection. Other Ecuadorian officials in Quito accused supporters of WikiLeaks and two Russian hackers of trying to destabilize the country.

“The discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr. Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of its allied organization, against Ecuador, and especially the transgression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr. Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable.” — Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno
“The discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr. Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of its allied organization, against Ecuador, and especially the transgression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr. Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable,” Moreno said.
Assange has been under U.S. Justice Department scrutiny for years for WikiLeaks’ role in publishing thousands of government secrets. He was an important figure in the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe as investigators examined how WikiLeaks obtained emails that were stolen from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and Democratic groups.
WikiLeaks quickly drew attention to U.S. interest in Assange and said that Ecuador had illegally terminated Assange’s political asylum “in violation of international law.”
“Powerful actors, including CIA, are engaged in a sophisticated effort to de-humanise, de-legitimize and imprison him,” the group said in a tweet over a photo of Assange’s smiling face.
But Moreno appeared to suggest that a swift extradition to America was not likely.
“In line with our strong commitment to human rights and international law, I requested Great Britain to guarantee that Mr. Assange would not be extradited to a country where he could face torture or the death penalty,” Moreno said. “The British government has confirmed it in writing, in accordance with its own rules.”
Photo of a police car parked outside after the arrest of Julian Assange
A police car parked outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody Thursday April 11, 2019. (John Stillwell/PA via AP)

Assange’s Arrest Drew a Mixed Reaction

Assange’s arrest came a day after WikiLeaks accused the Ecuador’s government of an “extensive spying operation” against him. WikiLeaks claims that meetings with lawyers and a doctor inside the embassy over the past year were secretly filmed.
In Quito on Thursday, Ecuador’s government denounced what they called attempts by supporters of WikiLeaks and two Russian hackers to destabilize their country as its standoff with Assange intensified in recent weeks.
Ecuador Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo said a close collaborator of WikiLeaks had traveled with former Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino this year to several countries — including Peru, Spain and Venezuela — in an attempt to undermine the Ecuadorian government. She did not identify the person but said their name and those of the two Russian hackers working in Ecuador would be turned over to judicial authorities.
She also said Ecuador’s embassy in Spain and other diplomatic missions abroad have received threats related.
Assange’s arrest drew a mixed reaction.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt thanked Moreno for breaking the impasse, saying on Twitter that Assange “is no hero and no one is above the law.”

Russia Wants Assange’s Rights to Be Protected Following His Arrest

But Edward Snowden, the former security contractor who leaked classified information about U.S. surveillance programs, called Assange’s arrest a blow to media freedom.
“Images of Ecuador’s ambassador inviting the U.K.’s secret police into the embassy to drag a publisher of —like it or not — award-winning journalism out of the building are going to end up in the history books,” Snowden said in a tweet.
“Assange’s critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom,” Snowden said from Russia, which has granted him permission to stay there while he is wanted by the U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said Russia wants Assange’s rights to be protected following his arrest. Dmitry Peskov told reporters that he could not comment on the overall case but “we of course hope that all of his rights will be observed.”
An independent U.N. human rights expert said he won’t relent in his efforts to determine whether Assange’s privacy rights were violated at the embassy in London. Joe Cannataci, the special rapporteur on privacy, had planned to travel to London on April 25 to meet with Assange and said he still planned to do so — wherever Assange is at the time.
“I will visit him and speak to him in a police station or elsewhere in the U.K. where he may be held,” Cannataci said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

CA Law Silences Abuse Victims in Court. The Legislature Could Finally Change That

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Nab 11 DUI Suspects During Saturation Enforcement

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Make DUI Arrest During Weekend Saturation Patrol

DON'T MISS

US Issues Iran-Related Sanctions on Network of Shipping Companies, Vessels

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Hits Over One-Week Low on Tariff Uncertainty, Data in Focus

DON'T MISS

US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Use of Troops in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Thousands of Israeli Reservists Report for Duty, as Military Chief Clashes With Ministers

DON'T MISS

Vogue Appoints Chloe Malle to Succeed Anna Wintour as US Editorial Head

DON'T MISS

Garnet Fire in Fresno County Grows to 26,982 Acres, 12% Contained

DON'T MISS

US Construction Spending Dips in July

UP NEXT

Wall Street Hits Over One-Week Low on Tariff Uncertainty, Data in Focus

UP NEXT

Thousands of Israeli Reservists Report for Duty, as Military Chief Clashes With Ministers

UP NEXT

New Quake of Magnitude 5.5 Shakes Devastated Afghan Region as Death Toll Exceeds 1,400

UP NEXT

Trump Set to Move Space Command Headquarters to Alabama From Colorado, Sources Say

UP NEXT

Trump Says Rudy Giuliani Will Receive Top US Civilian Honor

UP NEXT

Aid Flotilla for Gaza Departs Barcelona After Stormy Weather Turnaround

UP NEXT

US Judge Blocks Deportations of Unaccompanied Migrant Children to Guatemala

UP NEXT

Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet

UP NEXT

Thousands in Australia March Against Immigration, Government Condemns Rally

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote

US Issues Iran-Related Sanctions on Network of Shipping Companies, Vessels

2 hours ago

Wall Street Hits Over One-Week Low on Tariff Uncertainty, Data in Focus

2 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Use of Troops in Los Angeles

2 hours ago

Thousands of Israeli Reservists Report for Duty, as Military Chief Clashes With Ministers

2 hours ago

Vogue Appoints Chloe Malle to Succeed Anna Wintour as US Editorial Head

2 hours ago

Garnet Fire in Fresno County Grows to 26,982 Acres, 12% Contained

2 hours ago

US Construction Spending Dips in July

2 hours ago

New Quake of Magnitude 5.5 Shakes Devastated Afghan Region as Death Toll Exceeds 1,400

2 hours ago

Trump Set to Move Space Command Headquarters to Alabama From Colorado, Sources Say

2 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Investigate Porterville Shooting

16 hours ago

CA Law Silences Abuse Victims in Court. The Legislature Could Finally Change That

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Thirty years ago, I did the bravest thing I could ima...

23 seconds ago

San Diego Courtroom
23 seconds ago

CA Law Silences Abuse Victims in Court. The Legislature Could Finally Change That

19 minutes ago

Fresno Police Nab 11 DUI Suspects During Saturation Enforcement

2 hours ago

Clovis Police Make DUI Arrest During Weekend Saturation Patrol

United States Department of the Treasury logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Issues Iran-Related Sanctions on Network of Shipping Companies, Vessels

A view shows the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Wall Street entrance in New York City, U.S., April 7, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Wall Street Hits Over One-Week Low on Tariff Uncertainty, Data in Focus

National Guard troops wear gas masks during protests against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Use of Troops in Los Angeles

An Israeli soldier stands on top of a military vehicle at the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 26, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Thousands of Israeli Reservists Report for Duty, as Military Chief Clashes With Ministers

Anna Wintour attends opening remarks during a press preview of The Costume Institute's exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, U.S., May 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Vogue Appoints Chloe Malle to Succeed Anna Wintour as US Editorial Head

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend