Julian Assange Arrested in UK, Stripped of Ecuadorian Citizenship, U.S. Demands Extradition

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been dragged out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has spent the last seven years. That's after Ecuador's president Moreno withdrew asylum.

That's only a day after WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson claimed that an extensive spying operation was conducted against Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy. During an explosive media conference Hrafnsson alleged that the operation was designed to get Assange extradited.

Assange's relationship with Ecuadorian officials appeared increasingly strained since the current president came to power in the Latin American country in 2017. His internet connection was cut off in March of last year, with officials saying the move was to stop Assange from "interfering in the affairs of other sovereign states."

Assange was taken into custody at a central London police station, and the arrest was made at a US extradition request, the Met Police have confirmed, saying he will appear at London Magistrates’ Court.

Julian Assange has been “further arrested on behalf of the United States authorities after his arrival at a central London police station,” the Metropolitan Police confirmed. The US cited the Extradition Act while filing the request, they informed.

UPDATE: Julian Assange has been further arrested in relation to an extradition warrant on behalf of the United States authorities. He remains in custody at a central London police station. https://t.co/rK3mtlsPBE pic.twitter.com/kipiWbflOh

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 11, 2019

Assange has been arrested in relation to a US extradition request for "conspiracy with Chelsea Manning" for publishing Iraq War Logs, Cablegate, Afghan War Logs, precisely the persecution for which he was granted asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention in 2012. @unhumanrights pic.twitter.com/i0TezO3SdK

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

Julian Assange will be taken to Westminster Magistrates court this afternoon. He has been arrested under a US extradition warrant for conspiracy with @xychelsea for publishing classified information revealing war crimes in 2010.https://t.co/vvbZBOgCwL

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

This man is a son, a father, a brother. He has won dozens of journalism awards. He's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since 2010. Powerful actors, including CIA, are engaged in a sophisticated effort to dehumanise, delegitimize and imprison him. #ProtectJulian pic.twitter.com/dVBf1EcMa5

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

Images of Ecuador's ambassador inviting the UK'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. Assange's critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom. https://t.co/ys1AIdh2FP

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019

Due to the use of the conditional tense & the fact that prosecutors don't claim the password was cracked, it looks like this alleged "password-cracking agreement" between Assange & Manning -- the crime Assange is accused of -- wasn't even successful. (https://t.co/K1T8OLNcAk) pic.twitter.com/tqFOo4yvBu

— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) April 11, 2019

If Assange is only being charged for allegedly trying to crack a password, is that a tacit recognition that they can't actually charge him for receiving those classified records that "Manning had already provided" to him? pic.twitter.com/8tSmcg8dM0

— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) April 11, 2019

What's going on here looks pretty obvious to me: DOJ knew they couldn't get Assange on receiving or publishing the material that "Manning had already provided," so they went after him on a "password-cracking agreement" that looks like it wasn't even successful. pic.twitter.com/JKy8x80E6s

— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) April 11, 2019