Swedish Prosecutor Says Arrest of Assange Is ‘News to Us’

(Bloomberg) -- Swedish prosecutors weren’t aware of the arrest of Julian Assange by London police after the WikiLeaks founder was expelled from his hideout in Ecuador’s embassy.

"This is news to us too, and we haven’t yet processed the information," Ingrid Isgren, the chief prosecutor, said in a statement. "We don’t know why he has been arrested."

Isgren said she can’t comment further at this stage, but will do so once she has any information to announce.

Swedish prosecutors closed the preliminary investigation into Assange in May 2017, she said. An investigation can be resumed as long as the statute of limitations haven’t passed, which in the case of the rape suspicions against Assange happens in August 2020, she said.

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