Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks Web site who is embroiled in a fight with the Pentagon over the disclosure of secret military documents, was caught up in a new drama on Saturday when Swedish prosecutors sought him for questioning on allegations of rape and molestation — and then announced the rape allegation was unfounded.The abrupt reversal marked another strange twist to Mr. Assange’s already complicated tale. A 39-year-old former computer hacker from Australia, Mr. Assange has become ever more elusive in recent weeks as the Obama administration hinted it might prosecute him for releasing about 77,000 classified Afghan war documents on the Internet last month. His confrontation with the administration has grown only more bitter as he warned that the organization would soon release 15,000 more documents.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/world/europe/22wikileaks.htmlAlso see:Julian Assange: WikiLeaks founder hits out at rape smears as Swedish warrant for his arrest is withdrawn
Julian Assange, the secretive founder of WikiLeaks, the website behind the biggest leak of US military documents in history, was the subject of conspiracy theories last night after prosecutors withdrew a warrant for his arrest in connection with rape and molestation allegations.On Friday a spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutors’ office in Stockholm confirmed an arrest warrant for Assange had been issued in absentia and urged him to “contact police so that he can be confronted with the suspicions”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/22/julian-assange-wikileaks-afghanistan-logsWikiLeaks Founder No Longer a Rape Suspect
Swedish prosecutors said Saturday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was “no longer wanted” for rape, reversing their position just hours after saying his arrest was being sought.In an update on the website of the Swedish Prosecution Authority, the agency said that “chief prosector Eva Finné has come to the decision that Julian Assange is not suspected of rape.” His arrest is no longer being sought, the agency said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703461504575443370320437024.htmlSweden Drops Arrest Warrant For WikiLeaks Founder [Reuters]
Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant for the founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks on Saturday on suspicion of rape, but then swiftly withdrew it.Chief Prosecutor Eva Finne determined there were not enough grounds for the warrant for Assange, whose website last month published secret U.S. military files on Afghanistan, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said on its website.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/08/21/world/international-uk-sweden-wikileaks.htmlSweden withdraws warrant for WikiLeaks founder [AP]
Swedish authorities revoked a short-lived arrest warrant for the founder of WikiLeaks on Saturday, saying a rape accusation against him lacked substance.Julian Assange, who was believed to be in Sweden, remained under suspicion of a lesser crime of molestation in a separate case, prosecutors said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/21/AR2010082100951.html