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Assange faces arrest

June 20, 2012

Police in Britain have said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is subject to arrest for breaching his bail conditions. He remains holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in the hopes of receiving political asylum.

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A man walks past Ecuador's embassy in London June 20, 2012.
Image: Reuters

London's police force, Scotland Yard, said on Wednesday that Julian Assange would be arrested if he stepped outside the Ecuadorian embassy, where he is currently seeking refuge.

Police said he had breached the terms of his bail agreement, which dictate that he remain at his designated bail address between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Assange "is now subject to arrest under the Bail Act for breach of these conditions," a spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said.

Britain's Foreign Office admitted, however, that Assange remained "beyond the reach of police" while he remained inside the embassy.

"We will seek to work with the Ecuadorean authorities to resolve this situation as soon as possible," it said in a statement.

The 40-year-old founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks took refuge in the building on Tuesday. The Ecuadorian government is currently reviewing his application for political asylum.

His asylum bid comes less than a week after Britain's Supreme Court rejected his appeal against extradition to Sweden. The Swedish authorities are seeking to question Assange over alleged sexual misconduct against two women in 2010.

ccp/ncy (AFP, dpa, AP)