Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested after Ecuador withdraws asylum

Assange has been living at the Ecuador embassy since 2012 when he sought refuge there.

Published: 11th April 2019 03:20 PM | Last Updated: 11th April 2019 03:50 PM | A+A A-

By AFP

LONDON: British police have arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at Ecuador's embassy in London after his asylum was withdrawn, the police said in a statement Thursday.

Assange has been living at the embassy since 2012 when he sought refuge there.

WikiLeaks accused Ecuador of "illegally" withdrawing asylum for its founder Julian Assange and said Ecuador's ambassador to London had invited British police into the building to arrest him.

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

"Ecuador has illegally terminated Assange's political asylum in violation of international law," the site said on Twitter, adding that the ambassador "invited British police into the embassy and he was immediately arrested".

(More details are awaited)