WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has finally been forced out of London’s Ecuadorian embassy today.
The 47-year-old was arrested after Ecuador withdrew asylum this morning.
He had been holed up in the embassy in posh Knightsbridge for years, initially to avoid being extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual offences.
Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the US, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.
Here is why he was arrested .
Assange had sex with two women he met at a conference in Sweden in August 2010.
They accused the dad of rape and, though he was questioned, Assange was never charged over the claims. He’s always denied them.
But Interpol issued a Red Notice for Assange’s arrest in November 2010 and he gave himself up one week later.
The hacker then appeared before a judge in Westminster, where his supporters stumped up £240,000 for his bail.
But in June 2012, Swedish prosecutors called for him to be extradited – a measure his lawyers opposed in case he was sent to the US.
Days later he fled bail and applied for asylum in Ecuador, through the embassy in Knightsbridge, London.
The Ecuadorian authorities stated he could remain in the embassy as long as he wished, and Assange was granted political asylum in August of that year.
Ecuador closed off Assange’s communications with the outside world in March that year.
In July 27 last year, it was reported Ecuador’s president said Assange must eventually leave the embassy.
In November, 2018, the US Department of Justice inadvertently named Assange in a court document which suggests the WikiLeaks founder may have been charged in secret.