Julian Assange fears assassination

Australian Julian Assange worries that if he is ever free he could be kidnapped or "droned" by the CIA, he has told The Times Magazine.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with Reverend Jesse Jackson outside the Embassy of Ecuador in London (AAP)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with Reverend Jesse Jackson outside the Embassy of Ecuador in London (AAP) Source: Press Association

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fears he might be assassinated if he steps outside the Ecuadorian embassy.

In an interview with The Times Magazine, Assange said he has not had any fresh air or sunlight for three years because it is too dangerous to leave the building.

He told the magazine: "There are security issues with being on the balcony. There have been bomb threats and assassination threats from various people."

Despite believing it is "not likely" that he will be shot, he worries that if he is ever free he could be kidnapped or "droned" by the CIA.

"I'm a white guy," Assange said.

"Unless I convert to Islam it's not that likely that I'll be droned, but we have seen things creeping towards that."

Yet, he believes his controversial public figure status has led to "quite a number of threats by unstable people".

The Australian was granted political asylum by the government of Ecuador under the 1951 Refugee Convention in 2012.

He believes he risks extradition to the US from the UK and Sweden, where he is under investigation for his involvement with Wikileaks. He also faces extradition to Sweden for an investigation into an alleged rape.

Over a period of nearly five years, he has been detained without charge in prison, under house arrest and in the embassy, with round-the-clock police guard thought to cost more than 11 million.

Assange believes his situation will be resolved in the next two years, by which point he will have spent five years living in the embassy.

Earlier, AFP reported that Swedish officials will meet their Ecuadorian counterparts on Monday to find a way for Swedish prosecutors to question Assange over the rape allegation.

"It is the first time that we are going to meet and we will discuss a general agreement for judicial co-operation between the two countries," Swedish justice ministry official Cecilia Riddselius told AFP on Friday.

The move comes just two weeks after Swedish prosecutors dropped two sexual assault allegations against Assange after the time limit on them expired, but they still want to question him about a rape allegation.


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Published 29 August 2015 7:31pm
Updated 30 August 2015 7:51am
Source: AAP

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