7 Dec 2010

UK receives arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder

4:19 pm on 7 December 2010

Legal authorities around the world have stepped up the pressure on the founder of the WikiLeaks website, whose publication of secret diplomatic cables have angered Washington and other governments.

Britain has received a European arrest warrant for Julian Assange, who is wanted in Sweden over an alleged sexual assault.

A lawyer for Mr Assange said on Monday he and his client were in the process of arranging to meet British police.

Mark Stephens told BBC television that Mr Assange has not been charged with anything.

He is believed to be in hiding somewhere in south-east England.

Meanwhile, the Swiss post office's bank, PostFinance, has frozen Mr Assange's accounts, the BBC reports.

The whistle-blowing website says the freeze includes a defence fund and personal assets worth 31,000 euros.

A WikiLeaks statement says it and Mr Assange have lost 100,000 euros in assets in a week, including 60,000 euros of donations frozen by internet payment company PayPal.

Sites 'vital to US security' listed

In its latest release of cables, WikiLeaks listed pipelines, cable locations, satellite hubs and other facilities around the world considered essential to US national security.

The list was drawn up by US missions, in response to an order from the State Department in February 2009.

Several British sites are listed, including cable locations, satellite sites and BAE Systems plants, the BBC reports.

Other facilities include an anti-snake venom factory in Australia, a cobalt mine in Congo and an insulin plant in Denmark.

The website is releasing 250,000 secret cables passed between the US State Department and hundreds of American embassies.