WikiLeaks’ Assange Arrested in London, Denied Bail
Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks leader, was arrested Tuesday in London on Swedish rape accusations after agreeing to meet with the police.
Hours later, he appeared in Magistrates Court in Westminster, where he was denied bail, CNN reported.
The arrest came nine days after WikiLeaks began publishing from its cache of more than 250,000 leaked U.S. State Department diplomatic cables, which are trickling out at a rate of about 100 a day.
That publication will continue uninterrupted, according to a tweet on the WikiLeaks twitter feed following Assange’s detention. “Today’s actions against our editor-in-chief Julian Assange won’t affect our operations: we will release more cables tonight as normal,” read one message. A second tweet added: “Let down by the UK justice system’s bizarre decision to refuse bail to Julian Assange. But #cablegate releases continue as planned.”
Metropolitan police said in a statement that Assange volunteered to surrender at a London police station.
“He is acused by the Swedish authorities of one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape, all alleged to have been committed in August, 2010,” the police said.
Assange indicated in court that he would fight extradition to Sweden, according to reports. He is set to appear in court again on December 14.
Update 13:00 EST: The Guardian has the first detailed breakdown of the allegations under investigation in the case.
Gemma Lindfield, for the Swedish authorities, told the court Assange was wanted in connection with four allegations.
She said the first complainant, Miss A, said she was victim of “unlawful coercion” on the night of 14 August in Stockholm.
The court heard Assange is accused of using his body weight to hold her down in a sexual manner.
The second charge alleged Assange “sexually molested” Miss A by having sex with her without a condom when it was her “express wish” one should be used.
The third charge claimed Assange “deliberately molested” Miss A on 18 August “in a way designed to violate her sexual integrity”.
The fourth charge accused Assange of having sex with a second woman, Miss W, on 17 August without a condom while she was asleep at her Stockholm home.
Update 14:00 EST Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny commented on the arrest in a statement. “Apart from the arrest, nothing new has happened in the investigation, but the arrest is a prerequisite for continuing the investigation. I cannot give information on the next step, as the matter at the moment is handled by British authorities,” she said.
“I would like to clarify that there have by no means been any political pressure on my decision making. I act as a prosecutor due to suspicions of sexual crimes in Sweden in August. Swedish prosecutors are completely independent in their decision making,” she added..
See Also:
- No Secrets: Julian Assange’s Mission for Total Transparency
- Interpol Issues ‘Red Notice’ for Arrest of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange
- WikiLeaks’ Assange To Meet With U.K. Police Over Swedish Warrant
- WikiLeaks Founder ‘Detained in Absentia’ in Swedish Rape Probe
- U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe
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