WikiLeaks: net closes on Julian Assange as Scotland Yard receive full arrest papers

Telegraph [UK] ^ | 12/6/10 | Staff

[Nachum]

Scotland Yard has received the paperwork required to arrest Julian Assange as the net tightens on the WikiLeaks founder.

A fresh European Arrest Warrant has been issued by the authorities in Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over claims of sexual assault.

Mark Stephens, who represents the 39-year-old Australian former computer hacker, said he would fight any move to extradite his client.

But the move means there is no longer any legal impediment to holding Mr Assange and making him appear before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

[ClearCase_guy]

I can't wait to see what's in the encrypted information.

[reagandemocrat]

But wait! Eric Holder says HE (not Scotland Yard) is taking “significant action”.

[ozzymandus]

I’d bet the international LEO community knows exactly where he is. Whether anybody actually has the guts to charge him and jail him is something else.

[GonzoGOP]

Mark Stephens, who represents the 39-year-old Australian former computer hacker, said he would fight any move to extradite his client.

As the Chicago police used to say when bringing in a cop killer. They might beat the charges, but they won't survive the ride to the station. Julian has peed in the vodka of the Russian mob. If he goes into prison he isn't going to be getting out. You can screw with the CIA since they are toothless and incompetent. But the Russians will just as soon kill you as talk to you.

[tcrlaf]

I’m loving the way the adoring leftist media is turning on this formerly useful idiot.

As long as his leaks harmed BUSH and the Repubs, these outlets were willing to give him a pass. But now that he is making DEMOCRATS look bad, he suddenly becomes PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE.

Am I the only one noting how this is coming down??

[chrisser]

I can't wait to see what's in the encrypted information.

I think that's going to turn out to be a problem for Mr. Assange.

As I understand it, once that code is released, all of the documents will be revealed. That may or may not be devestating to various governments, but once the floodgates are open, Mr. Assange will have no cards to play.

It's actually in his best interest to hold onto those codes as long as he can - at least if he wants to stay alive.

[chrisser]

He also better pray his encryption holds, cause if someone breaks it (and governments are the most likely to have the tools available to do so), they’ll be no reason to let him live.

[Hotlanta Mike]

He’s in seclusion at the English estate of one George Soros.

[Alberta's Child]

I say leave the guy alone. I want to see what else he has in his extensive archives.

I suspected that a lot of this "outrage" over these leaks is a bunch of phony nonsense once I saw an article over the weekend indicating that he had reached out to the U.S. State Department and offered to have them review his documents before he released them -- but they weren't interested.

I also find it kind of amusing that Sweden has issued an arrest warrant for some prior alleged crime of his, but nobody has ordered his arrest for anything that he's done in the last few months. What the heck is that all about?

[reagandemocrat]

As noted on another thread, this comes AFTER the guy said Obama should resign. Now, the left has turned on Wiki.

[bert]

The significant action was to request the home secretary direct Scotland Yard to pick him up...... or some similar request.

[Gen. Burkhalter]

I have already requested a firing squad.

[freespirited]

I’m not impressed with the rape charges against him. The two women both admit that the sex was consensual, but claim at some point it became non-consensual.

Now this may not be gentlemenly, but to call it rape?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

If they have the ability to break the cypher is it worth revealing that capability to swat this gnat?

[bunkerhill7]

Revealing secrets to Enemies is Espionage.
We used to shoot spies.
Now we just give `em air tickets.

[FS11]

Lots of info connecting BO to WikiLeaks here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2637720/posts

[chrisser]

If they have the ability to break the cypher is it worth revealing that capability to swat this gnat?

Depends on who breaks the cypher and what is discovered in the documents. Whoever breaks it first gets advance notice before all the other governments and the public. Let's say Russia breaks it and discovers that the contents are far more dangerous to us than it is to them - that would be an incentive to off him.

Or, of more dangerous to them, they could maneouver to preempt the damage to themselves, then choose the best time to eliminate him, thereby maximizing the damage to us.

Or, they could hold other countries hostage behind the scenes.

Power over the information would then be in the hands of the decrypters, rather than Assange, which probably isn't good for Assange's ongoing health.

[TWhiteBear]

Some people seem to take Mr. Assange at his word. I suggest that there may be multiple disclosures, a drop at a time, and related to who is giving Mr. Assange grief. It may be advisable to keep him walking around, just to keep the peace.
Personally, I hope the Brits bite the bullet and arrest him. There is a lot I would like to know about the Royal Family, pre WWII to the present. And if the keys to the world financial codes come out, it will be a race to the bank while it is still there. Of course, the nations could work together to reduce the damage(fat chance).
It could be an interesting week.
TWB

[Army Air Corps]

It would be a gas if the file were compromised without his knowledge. His followers discover that all they downloaded were the scripts for every Roger Corman film ever made.