WikiLeaks' Assange arrested on behalf of US
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested Thursday to face a U.S. charge that he conspired to hack military computers. Police in the United Kingdom dragged Assange from the front door of the embassy Thursday morning and he now faces extradition to the United States, USA Today reported.
In an indictment revealed Thursday morning, U.S. authorities alleged that Assange conspired with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal and publish huge troves of classified documents. Assange is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. The charge, delivered by a federal grand jury in March 2018 but kept secret until Thursday, carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The source reminds that Assange had sheltered in Ecuador's embassy since seeking asylum there in 2012. London's Metropolitan Police moved in after Ecuador formally withdrew its asylum for Assange, an Australian native, and subsequently revoked his Ecuadorian citizenship. Plainclothes officers escorted him from the embassy on Thursday.