WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Arrested In London

GettyImages-Assange arrest — Supporters of former Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa demonstrating outside Carondelet presidential palace in Quito, showing support to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. On Thursday Assange was arrested in London. RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday.

According to police, the 47-year old Australian born internet activist was arrested under a warrant issued by Westminster magistrate’s court over a case dating back to June 29, 2012. Assange was carried out of the embassy in handcuffs by seven men to a waiting police van, according to video footage. He was carrying a book and was seen shouting and gesticulating.

The Metropolitan police said: “He has been taken into custody at a central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster magistrates court as soon as possible.”

Nearly 7yrs after entering the Ecuadorean Embassy, I can confirm Julian Assange is now in police custody and rightly facing justice in the UK. I would like to thank Ecuador for its cooperation & @metpoliceuk for its professionalism. No one is above the law
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) April 11, 2019

British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted that Julian “Assange is no hero and no one is above the law.”

Incidentally, the arrest comes a day after WikiLeaks accused the Ecuadorian government of “extensive spying” against Assange.

Assange had refused to vacate the embassy claiming that he feared extradition to the United States for questioning over activities of WikiLeaks.

Assange moved to the embassy seven years ago to evade extradition to Sweden on a sexual assault case. But that case has now been dropped.

The arrest became imminent after Ecuador withdrew Assange's asylum saying that he committed “repeated violations to international conventions,” according to a statement by the country’s president Lenin Moreno.

WikiLeaks blamed Ecuador for acting illegally and “violating international law” by terminating Assange's political asylum.

Famous for exposing Hillary Clinton emails

Born in Townsville, Australia, Julian Assange has been a journalist, computer programmer, and activist. He started the WikiLeaks website in 2006. He hacked and exposed confidential information from the database of many organizations and shared them globally and startled many individuals, organizations and governments.

Among the controversial leaks include emails of U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. He was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2010.