Wanted for questioning on trumped up Swedish sex charges, Julian Assange turns himself in in Britain. If the US adopted Swedish legal definitions, many common US dating behaviors would suddenly be felonies.
Cassandra Vinograd, Raphael G. Satter (AP)
LONDON – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested and jailed without bail Tuesday in a sex-crimes investigation. But his organization scarcely missed a beat, releasing a new batch of the secret cables that U.S. officials say are damaging America's security and relations worldwide.
A month after dropping out of public view, the 39-year-old Australian surrendered to Scotland Yard to answer a warrant issued for his arrest by Sweden. He is wanted for questioning after two women accused him of having sex with them without a condom and without their consent.
Assange said he would fight extradition to Sweden, setting the stage for what could be a pitched legal battle. And as if to prove that it can't be intimidated, WikiLeaks promptly released a dozen new cables, including details of a NATO defense plan for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania that made Russia bristle.
Leaders at the US Dept. of War (DoD) fit the definition of warlords. But never mind. The White House will not cave in to warlords -- no matter what WikiLeaks reveals.
The Pentagon welcomed Assange's arrest: "That sounds like good news to me," U.S. [War and former CIA] Secretary Robert Gates said on a visit to Afghanistan.
WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson insisted Assange's arrest and the decision Tuesday by both Visa and MasterCard to stop processing donations to the group "will not change our operation." Hrafnsson said the organization has no plans yet to make good on its threat to release en masse some of its most sensitive U.S. documents if it comes under attack. More>>
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