Julian Assange facing arrest for breaching bail conditions

JULIAN Assange, the Wikileaks founder, is facing arrest, police said today.

• Julian Assange applied for political asylum at Ecuadorian Embassy

• WikiLeaks founder broke bail condition to stay at adress between 10pm and 8am

• Assange fighting extradition to Sweden

The Australian breached his curfew when he applied for political asylum at Ecuadorian Embassy last night.

The 40-year-is seeking asylum under the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.

It comes after his failed bid to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations.

The Metropolitan Police today said Assange is subject to arrest after breaching one of the bail conditions imposed on him by the High Court, which was to stay at his bail address between 10pm and 8am.

A police spokeswoman said: “At around 10.20pm on Tuesday June 19, the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) was notified that Assange had breached one of those bail conditions.

“He is now subject to arrest under the Bail Act for breach of these conditions.

“Officers are aware of his location at the Ecuador Embassy in Hans Crescent, London.”

Mr Assange is fighting extradition to Sweden, where he faces accusations of raping a woman and sexually molesting and coercing another in Stockholm in August 2010 while on a visit to give a lecture.

Mr Assange, whose WikiLeaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, says the sex was consensual and the allegations against him are politically motivated.

Last month the Supreme Court upheld a High Court ruling that his extradition was legal. Last week the same court refused an attempt by him to reopen his appeal against extradition, saying it was “without merit”.

He had until June 28 to ask European judges in Strasbourg to consider his case and postpone extradition on the basis that he has not had a fair hearing from the UK courts.