Assange fathered two children while in embassy: report

**EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS PACKAGE IS BEING REFILED TO REPLACE THE FIRST SEVEN SECONDS OF VIDEO WITH A STILL PHOTOGRAPH TO CLARIFY THAT A FEMALE ATTORNEY MENTIONED IN THIS PIECE IS NOT FEATURED IN VIDEO.** WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fathered two children with a lawyer representing him while he was sequestered in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, according to a British newspaper on Sunday.

The mother of his children, 37-year-old South African lawyer Stella Morris, told The Mail on Sunday the couple have two sons, aged 1 and 2, both conceived while Assange was in the embassy and kept secret from media and intelligence agencies monitoring his activity.

The paper said Morris has been engaged to Assange since 2017.

Both of their children are British citizens.

Assange watched the births on a video link, the paper said.

Australian-born Assange was dragged out of the embassy last year after a seven-year standoff and is now jailed in Britain fighting extradition to the U.S. on computer hacking and espionage charges.

His supporters say the U.S. case against him is political and he cannot receive a fair trial.

Morris said she had chosen to speak out now because she was worried about his susceptibility to the coronavirus in jail.

The paper quoted her as saying, "I love Julian deeply and I am looking forward to marrying him." She added, "I am now terrified I will not see him alive again."