Assange Arrested on Rape Charges
ABC News reports:
British police have arrested Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange on four charges related to a Swedish sex crimes investigation today.
Assange has drawn the ire of the United States and some in the international community after the Australian hacker released over 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables, some of which were embarrassing to U.S. and foreign officials and others related to sensitive sites vital to America's national security.
His arrest, in connection with the alleged rape of two women in Sweden in August, would not stop the release of documents through Wikileaks, a spokesman for the organization said.
"WikiLeaks is operational. We are continuing on the same track as laid out before," Kristinn Hrafnsson, spokesman for the group, told The Associated Press. "Any development with regards to Julian Assange will not change the plans we have with regards to the releases today and in the coming days."
Assange had also warned that if he is detained, he would release so-called "doomsday files" which allegedly contain classified information that could threaten American national security.
"We have over a long period of time distributed encrypted backups of material we have yet to release. All we have to do is release the password to that material, and it is instantly available," Assange told the London Sunday Times before his arrest.
The arrest came after Assange agreed Monday to be interviewed by British police. Assange is expected to appear in Westminster Magistrates Court later today.
Assange has denied the sex crimes charges and after his arrest, Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, told ABC News Assange is ready "to vindicate himself and clear his good name."
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