London's Metropolitan Police arrest Julian Assange

Julian Assange has been arrested by London cops at the Ecuadorian Embassy after the nation revoked the asylum it had given him for nearly seven years. BREAKING: #Assange removed from embassy - video pic.twitter.com/qsHy7ZVPg5 — Ruptly (@Ruptly) April 11, 2019 The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) issued a statement this …

[x 7]

Whats the cheapest flight to Australia? Via the USA with a stopover???

We don't need to extradite him, just deport him in the right direction and let the yanks worry about the legalities when the aircraft lands for refueling

[James O'Shea]

Hey! Who, other than St. Julie, says that we want him on this side of the Atlantic? Dump the trash on Sweden or Oz, please, there's enough over here already.

[Anonymous Coward]

Stop suggesting polluting our commonwealth with that tit.

I think we can all be happy if we send him to Ecuador. They can have him forever for harbouring him.

[NerryTutkins]

irony

There is a certain irony in him getting extradited to the Trump administration's USA, considering wikileaks colluded with the russians to release the hacked democrat party emails in order to damage Hillary and put Putin's man in the Whitehouse.

No doubt the irony will be extended by Trump making comments about Assange being a sex pest and as such, a vile human being.

[James O'Shea]

Re: irony

The pussy-grabber-in-chief _likes_ sex pests. See further Roy Moore and, well, D. J. Trump (senior; Don Jr appears to have been castrated some time ago.)

[SundogUK]

Re: irony

Nobody 'colluded' with anybody. Releasing hacked documents is what Wikileaks does. The reason is in the name.

[CRConrad]

Re: "Releasing hacked documents is what Wikileaks does"

Yeah, that's why they were clamoring to be the first to release the Panama papers... Oh, no, wait -- they actually protested that and tried to paint it as propaganda.

Releasing some hacked documents and doing their best to bury others is what Wikileaks does nowadays. The reason is all in Julian Asshat's twisted little mind.

There, FTFY.

[mark l 2]

Assuming the UK court throws the maximum sentence for skipping bail he would be given 12 months in custodial sentence. But UK law says for all fix term sentences under 10 years you are automatically released at the half way point. Which means that practically he would only do 6 months in prison and then be released on license in the community under probation supervision. So considering he has already spent the last 7 years in self imposed imprisonment inside the embassy 6 months would be relatively easy. Although it would depend on which prison he went to and whether he choice to go into the main population or onto the vulnerable prisoner wings. I suspect he would be a target for a few beating on the main wings as he would no doubt piss some people off.

It will be interesting to see if he was correct all along and this was all about getting he extradited to the US or not.

[Jason Bloomberg]

It will be interesting to see if he was correct all along and this was all about getting he extradited to the US or not.

Seems to be according to the police - "Julian Assange, 47, (03.07.71) has today, Thursday 11 April, been further arrested on behalf of the United States authorities, at 10:53hrs after his arrival at a central London police station. This is an extradition warrant under Section 73 of the Extradition Act. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court as soon as possible."

Looks like his worst fears are about to come true.

[John Brown (no body)]

"Looks like his worst fears are about to come true."

Maybe. The Swedes have first dibs on him after is bail jumping sentence. They could choose to agree to him being extradited direct to the USA, but they get a full veto option as they already have legal requests in place which the UK judiciary agreed to at the highest levels. That's why Assange jumped bail in the first place. To avoid extradition to Sweden.

[Jove]

The term of detention has to be at Her Majesty's Pleasure - stays at Butlins do not count.

[James O'Shea]

Finally

Okay... Give him a nice fair trial for jumping bail, park him in one of Queen Liz's finest gray-bar hotels for about a year after finding him guilty, guilty, GUILTY, 'cause he is, the sod, then kick him off to Sweden if they still want him or Oz if they don't. And we can all go back to ignoring him.

[Anonymous Coward]

FINALLY

Does this mean I finally get to decrypt that archive that was sent out as an insurance policy?

Waiting for the password.Hope its not a rickroll video

[Zippy´s Sausage Factory]

Twitter is claiming Assange's lawyer has said that he was arrested on an American warrant.

And quite frankly, if you believe that, I have a bridge you might want to consider buying - slightly used, buyer collects.

[Danny 2]

Well, BBC News 24 have just claimed the same thing, but are citing the police. What's this bridge you are selling, what's the price, and can I see your ownership deeds?

[Loyal Commenter]

Owenrship deeds you say? Hold on, the printer's just warming up...

[Teiwaz]

The BBC?

These days they fall over themselves trying to make the news as absorbable as possible.

There's a certain amount of nuance likely lost along the way trying ensuring that.

[Zippy´s Sausage Factory]

Yeah, confirmed just soon enough after my post that I couldn't amend it any more. Do you think they were sitting there, waiting with a stopwatch?

[Jason Bloomberg]

From the horse's mouth ... http://news.met.police.uk/news/arrest-update-sw1-365526

[Anonymous Coward]

Twitter is claiming Assange's lawyer has said that he was arrested on an American warrant.And quite frankly, if you believe that, I have a bridge you might want to consider buying - slightly used, buyer collects.

Slice of IT Crowd humble pie ?

[Jove]

No, just inaccurate reporting. The initial arrest was based on a UK warrant.

[Anonymous Coward]

I can see

all the shadowy smoking men in the back of the room.

There is more smoke than usual. They are puffing hard, excited that they managed to win.

[Alister]

Re: I can see

And what the fuck are you smoking?

[Mark 85]

Re: I can see

And why aren't you sharing?

[SundogUK]

Re: I can see

Pretty obvious why you posted that AC.

Pillock.

[Loyal Commenter]

All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

What's with the crazy-old-bastard look he's sporting? Enquiring minds wish to know if he's been keeping his urine in jars and the Ecuadorians had finally had enough?

[Jellied Eel]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

Notice who provided the video of his arrest to the BBC? Russians again..

As for the look, I'm thinking it was all part of a cunning plan to escape the embassy and UK in December, by mingling with Harrod's Santas.

[Teiwaz]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

I was waiting for someone to note that...

I was thinking, no wonder they kicked him out, if he's let his standards go.

Or maybe the look is to prove there were no sexscapades at the embassy (I'm certainly convinced, looking like that).

He's been in semi-hermitage for nearly a decade, bound to have affected the mind.

[Mark 85]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

He's been in semi-hermitage for nearly a decade, bound to have affected the mind.

Semi-heritage but not isolated from the reports of all the visitors he's had who spent the night. I'm not saying I believe all these reports though given the nature of the press of late.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

'What's with the crazy-old-bastard look he's sporting? '

Well, as the mutterings about this eventuality have been getting stronger over the past months, one wonders if he was preparing to do a 'Kimball O'Hara'...he'd the beard sorted for the part, all he needed to do was stain his visible skin the right colour, put on a Jubba Thobe and a Khufi, then slip out of the embassy and merge into the crowds..after all, when watching out for one IC1, one IC4 in mufti looks much like any other IC4..

Alas, the Ecuadorians were (probably|allegedly) getting paid C.O.D...

[Jellied Eel]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

All joking aside..

He did not look a well man. Which is hardly suprising given his 7 year self-imposed detention, restricted liberty, limited access to exercise, sunlight and generally being surrounded by people who may not have had his best interests at heart.

So now he's 'free' to receive all the rights allowed to prisoners, ie medical and mental health care.. But I'd think rather unlikely to be free any time soon. So UK can give him up to 12 months, then Sweden, and of course the US. And given his past actions, rather unlikely to be released on bail. So depending on how well greased (or braked) extradition proceedings happen, maybe a couple of years in a UK jail, then off to the US & potentially a long spell in one of their Supermax facilities.

All because he decided to get political, rather than stick to simple journalism. I'm curious about the legalities around the journalism aspects, but I think he made a huge mistake editorialising 'Collateral Murder', and making that political. And then his 'help' during the US elections. So along with the alleged sex offences, burned a lot of good will and made some large enemies by becoming the story instead of just reporting it.

[the Jim bloke]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

"He did not look a well man. Which is hardly suprising given his 7 year self-imposed detention, restricted liberty, limited access to exercise, sunlight and generally being surrounded by people who may not have had his best interests at heart."

But once he is extradited he can get away from London...

[Mark 85]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

maybe a couple of years in a UK jail, then off to the US & potentially a long spell in one of their Supermax facilities.

I'm thinking...no. Not Supermax but possibly the scummiest, darkest place the Feds have. A few words with certain inmates, cigarettes or something else changes and hands, and end of story.

[SundogUK]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

If he is even extradited, he is looking at five years in general population. And no one cares enough to have him killed. What would be the point?

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

"What's with the crazy-old-bastard look he's sporting? Enquiring minds wish to know if he's been keeping his urine in jars and the Ecuadorians had finally had enough?"

Watching the video of him being carried out, I think he was just refusing to cooperate rather than being so frail as to be unable to walk.

[Jove]

Re: All discussions of "did-he-didn't-he" and "the CIA are going to get him" aside...

... and was he wearing combat-boots when they carried him out?

There are also the stories of the Embassy staff loosing patience with him smearing excrement over the walls; who does he think he is - Bobby Sands?

[defiler]

Wait, what?

This finally happened and I read about if first on Newsthump.

That's about as well as the rest of my day is staying on the tracks...

[Anonymous Coward]

Uncle Albert is looking well.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Only Fools and Assange

[Stratman]

BBC News have just reported (1318) he's been charged under a US extradition warrant in addition to his alleged bail offences.

[Bernard M. Orwell]

So, he was right that they were after him all along then? Surely then, he was right to hide? (not right to skip charges in Sweden and bail in the UK though, those were deeply stupid things to do.)

[Doctor Syntax]

"So, he was right that they were after him all along then?"

Not necessarily. They want him now. It's a long time ago since he skipped bail and a lot of other things have happened since then including a change in US government.

[Anonymous Coward]

Doctor Syntax, be honourable and admit that you got it completely wrong!

It was obvious the US would get him sooner or later for outing the Deep State dirty "little" operations.

[Ben Tasker]

> It was obvious the US would get him sooner or later for outing the Deep State dirty "little" operations.

Or, you know, it was obvious that meddling in the US elections (including taking data from the Russians) when the US may or may not want you is a bit of an imbecilic thing to do.

It's quite possible that the US wouldn't have bothered with him when this all started. But rather than holing up in his cupboard, he had to keep prodding the bear.

[Teiwaz]

he had to keep prodding the bear.

Maybe eagle?

Russia is the Bear usually,

Sort of Cross-totemic animal confusion.

[Doctor Syntax]

"Doctor Syntax, be honourable and admit that you got it completely wrong!"

In case you hadn't noticed, when he skipped bail the bail was from a warrant for extradition to Sweden. There was never any mention of a US extradition from the UK. There never any mention of a US warrant for extradition when he was in Sweden.

The report cited near the top of the comments was dated Nov last year and mentions prosecutors being told "over the summer" to go ahead. That's a long, long time after he holed himself up.

It's been complained about many times that the US/UK extradition treaty is extremely one-sided and that accordingly he stood much less chance of being extradited from Sweden. If he really was concerned about extradition to the US he was hardly likely to make the UK his first stop on leaving Sweden.

[Ben Tasker]

> In case you hadn't noticed, when he skipped bail the bail was from a warrant for extradition to Sweden

In fact, the story Assange claim was that the Swedish charges were a pretext to get him to Sweden where he could then be shipped onto the US.

Except, the US have now done exactly what they could have done once he entered the UK, and requested him direct from the UK.

[SundogUK]

What "Deep State dirty "little" operations"?

[Jove]

Nope - the USA have wanted him all along - the paperwork was waiting for events to catch-up.

[John Brown (no body)]

"So, he was right that they were after him all along then? "

No. It turns out the US indictment was penned in March 2018, so I suspect most likely it's related to the Mueller report and the change in administration.