Prosecutors said on Tuesday they would appeal against a British judge's decision to grant bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been arrested in Britain on Swedish allegations of sex crimes.

Prosecution lawyer Gemma Lindfield announced the decision at a court hearing, without giving reasons.

Judge Howard Riddle, who had earlier granted Assange bail under stringent conditions, said Assange must remain in custody until the appeal is heard within 48 hours.

The 39-year-old Australian, whose website has provoked U.S. fury by publishing some of a trove of 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic papers, was accused this year of sexual misconduct by two female Swedish WikiLeaks volunteers during a stay in Sweden.

Assange denies the allegations and is fighting Swedish attempts to extradite him.

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Tim Castle)

United kingdom Julian Assange Wikileaks