Julian Assange’s legal options narrowed Thursday as the WikiLeaks founder lost an appeal against a court order for his arrest and his British lawyer said the authorities knew his precise location.
Sweden’s Supreme Court upheld a order to detain the 39-year-old Australian for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual molestation that could lead to his extradition. He has been out of the public eye for a month, although attorney Mark Stephens insisted that the authorities knew how to find him. “Both the British and Swedish authorities know how to contact him, and the security services know exactly where he is,” Mr Stephens said.
Assange’s last public appearance was at a Geneva press conference on November 5.
Cables published on WikiLeaks’ website detailed alleged financial support for North Korea and terrorist affiliates by Austrian banks; a Pakistani official’s allegation that Russia “fully supports” Iran’s nuclear programme; and a deeply unflattering assessment of Turkmenistan’s President.