| Assange ‘violated’ bail rules: Police |
LONDON WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is seeking political asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, has breached bail conditions and faces arrest, police said on Wednesday.
Assange spent the night in the embassy in central London on Tuesday after making a dramatic bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sex crimes.
With time running out in his marathon legal battle to avoid being sent to Stockholm, the 40-year-old Australian walked into the embassy on Tuesday and claimed asylum under the United Nations human rights declaration.
Ecuador has said it is examining the request, the latest twist in a case dating back to December 2010 when Assange was first detained in London on a European arrest warrant.
The embassy confirmed it would be seeking the views of London, Stockholm and Washington to ensure it complied with international law.
Ana Alban, the Ecuadorian Ambassador, said in a statement on Wednesday that she had held “cordial and constructive” talks about the asylum bid with Britain’s Foreign Office.
“I also emphasised to the UK government that it was not the intention of the Ecuadorian government to interfere with the processes of either the UK or Swedish governments,” she added.
The embassy said Assange would remain in the building under the protection of the Ecuadorian government while his application is considered.
But police said that by spending the night there, Assange had breached conditions to stay at his bail address between 10pm and 8am and “he is now subject to arrest under the Bail Act for breach of these conditions”.
Agencies
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