Assange may be ‘kicked out’ of Ecuador mission, tweets WikiLeaks

LONDON: British police stationed armed officers outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Friday after tweets from WikiLeaks quoted what it said were high-level sources saying that Julian Assange could be kicked out of the building within “hours to days”.

The red-brick embassy building with white window frames and balconies was quiet, though a few protesters gathered outside. No embassy official commented on the WikiLeaks founder’s status, while British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said Assange is a “free man” and can leave the embassy whenever he chooses. Asked about the presence of armed officers outside the Ecuadorian Embassy, London’s Metropolitan Police force said there had been no change in police procedure.

Assange hasn’t left the embassy since August 2012, fearing arrest and extradition to the US for publishing classified military and diplomatic cables through WikiLeaks. Ecuador’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it wouldn’t comment on what it called “rumours, theories or conjectures.”