Ecuador Says Cops Were Called After Assange Refused to Leave Embassy
Ecuador Says Cops Were Called After Assange Refused to Leave Embassy
(Bloomberg) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was dragged from his hideout in Ecuador’s London embassy after refusing a request to leave, according to the Andean nation’s government.
Assange was summoned to the office of the ambassador, who notified him that Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno had removed his asylum status, Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Valencia told reporters in Quito.
After Assange refused, the ambassador asked diplomatic police to enter the embassy and escort him out, where he was then arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police, Valencia added.
Speaking alongside Valencia, Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo said that at least one Russian hacker living in Ecuador helped create a website connected to WikiLeaks.
Assange’s departure ends a nearly seven-year standoff between the transparency advocate and British authorities. While he will initially face punishment for jumping bail, Assange faces a lengthy extradition battle over U.S. charges.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephan Kueffner in Quito at skueffner1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew Bristow at mbristow5@bloomberg.net, Walter Brandimarte
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.