WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Arrested in London, Faces U.S. Conspiracy Charges
British police arrest Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian Embassy after the country revokes his asylum, and the U.S. Justice Department unseals a hacking conspiracy charge against him.
Julian Assange faces a historic legal battle after British police arrest him inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Ecuador withdraws the asylum protection that shields Assange for years, allowing Scotland Yard officers to enter the building and take him into custody. Authorities immediately schedule a hearing for May 2 to address a U.S. extradition request.
The U.S. Justice Department unseals an indictment that charges Assange with a single count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. The charges stem from an alleged 2010 plot in which Assange agrees to help former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning crack a password on a classified U.S. Department of Defense network. Manning previously serves over six years in prison for leaking those government secrets to WikiLeaks.
While the current indictment focuses solely on the 2010 hacking allegation, Justice Department investigators continue to examine the role WikiLeaks plays in the Russian attack on the 2016 election. Ecuador also escalates its stance against the organization by arresting a person allegedly close to WikiLeaks who attempts to travel to Japan. Assange now awaits the upcoming extradition hearing as his long-running legal drama enters a new phase.