BREAKING Julian Assange Has Been Arrested

This is a developing story. Return to this post for updates.

Multiple updates below now including response from Trump:

UPDATE 1

Via The Washington Post:

Assange was arrested early this morning by British police after being evicted from Ecuador’s embassy in London. London Metropolitan Police issued a statement saying Assange had been “arrested on behalf of the United States authorities” and would “appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court as soon as possible.”

UPDATE 2

Video of the arrest showed a gray-bearded Assange being pulled by British police officers down the steps of the embassy and shoved into a waiting police van. Assange appeared to be physically resisting. His hands were bound in front of him.

UPDATE 3

Video of Arrest:

 

UPDATE 4

Assange has been arrested in relation to a US extradition request for "conspiracy with Chelsea Manning" for publishing Iraq War Logs, Cablegate, Afghan War Logs, precisely the persecution for which he was granted asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention in 2012. @unhumanrights pic.twitter.com/i0TezO3SdK

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 5

From the US Justice Department:

“During the conspiracy, Manning and Assange engaged in real-time discussions regarding Manning’s transmission of classified records to Assange. The discussions also reflect Assange actively encouraging Manning to provide more information.  During an exchange, Manning told Assange that ‘after this upload, that’s all I really have got left.’ To which Assange replied, ‘curious eyes never run dry in my experience.’"

UPDATE 6

From Fox News:

Moments before the arrest, Ecuador announced it had withdrawn Assange's asylum for “repeatedly violating international conventions and protocol.”

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno described the decision to withdraw Assange’s asylum as a “sovereign decision” because of his alleged repeated violations.

“Today I announce that the discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr. Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of its allied organization, against Ecuador, and especially the transgression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr. Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable,” Moreno said in a video statement posted on Twitter.

UPDATE 7

The weakness of the US charge against Assange is shocking. The allegation he tried (and failed?) to help crack a password during their world-famous reporting has been public for nearly a decade: it is the count Obama's DOJ refused to charge, saying it endangered journalism. https://t.co/xdTQ8xauB0

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 8

Scene outside the court as we await #JulianAssange lawyers after:
-JA pleases not guilty to breaching bail conditions.
-Court heard history of the Swedish case.
-Court heard how JA resisted arrest in the embassy this morning
-JA found GUILTY on the bail charge@euronews pic.twitter.com/gSpR5vkKIX

— Vincent McAviney (@VinnyMcAv) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 9

#JulianAssange will next appear on the 2nd May via videolink at this court on extradition matter. He will next appear on the bail offence at Southwark Crown Court on a date to be announced. Judge on JA “the behaviour of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest”

— Vincent McAviney (@VinnyMcAv) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 10

From Assange lawyer Barry Pollack: "the factual allegations...boil down to encouraging a source to provide him information & taking efforts to protect the identify of that source. Journalists around the world should be deeply troubled by these unprecedented criminal charges."

— Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 11

Pamela Anderson reacts:

I am in shock..
I couldn’t hear clearly what he said?
He looks very bad.
How could you Equador ?
(Because he exposed you).
How could you UK. ?
Of course - you are America’s bitch and
you need a diversion from your idiotic Brexit bullshit.

— Pamela Anderson (@pamfoundation) April 11, 2019

And the USA ?
This toxic coward of a President
He needs to rally his base? -
You are selfish and cruel.
You have taken the entire world backwards.

You are devils and liars and thieves.
And you will ROTT

And
WE WILL RISE ✊

— Pamela Anderson (@pamfoundation) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 12

Trump reacts:

President Trump told reporters in the White House press pool that “I know nothing about WikiLeaks. It’s not my thing. I know there is something to do with Julian Assange. I’ve been seeing what’s happened with Assange. And that will be a determination, I imagine, mostly by the attorney general."

What a wimp.

UPDATE 13

 Swedish prosecutors have reopened their preliminary investigation into allegations of rape made by two women against Assange that were the initial reason why he sought asylum in the embassy.

After a lawyer for one of the women requested that Swedish prosecutors revisit the case, which we reported earlier, the prosecutors' office has affirmed that it will be reopened. They didn't give a deadline for the probe.

UPDATE 14

 Assange has been found guilty of failing to surrender. He will be sent to Southwark Crown Court for sentencing. Judge Snow declared that the assertion that Assange didn't receive a fair trial was "laughable."

UPDATE 15

How the arrest went down:

Officers tried to introduce themselves but he barged past them. He resisted and shouted “this is unlawful”. He had to be restrained and officers struggled to handcuff him. He shouted again “This is unlawful, I am not leaving” as he was led to the police van

— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) April 11, 2019

UPDATE 16

https://t.co/SQ41oD9HXt

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

 -RW