Sweden If the court granted the request, Swedish authorities would issue an international arrest warrant for Mr Assange, who allegedly assaulted two women last summer. “I request the District Court of Stockholm to detain Mr Assange in his absence, suspected of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion,” Marianne Ny, the Swedish director of prosecutions, said in a statement in English. “The reason for my request is that we need to interrogate him. So far, we have not been able to meet with him to accomplish the interrogations.” The Stockholm court was set to hold a hearing on Thursday afternoon on whether to order the detention. A warrant was first issued for Mr Assange’s arrest on August 20 by another prosecutor, but was later withdrawn. Ms Ny reopened the rape probe against the 39-year-old Australian on September 1, but did not request his detention and allowed him to leave Sweden. Mr Assange has said the allegations against him are part of a “smear campaign” aimed at discrediting his website, which is locked in a row with the Pentagon over the release of secret US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Wikileaks founder Julian Assange faces international arrest warrant over Swedish rape claims
A Swedish prosecutor has requested the arrest of Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblower website Wikileaks, to face charges of rape and sexual molestation.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
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