Swedish Prosecutor Says WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Is Not Wanted
In a bizarre sequence of events that echoed the plot of a Stieg Larsson novel, Swedish prosecutors on Saturday initially indicated that they were seeking to arrest WikiLeaks frontman Julian Assange in connection with a rape and molestation investigation, but they later issued a statement that Assange was no longer wanted.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on August 14, 2010, in Stockholm. , Bertil Ericson / Scanpix-AFP-Getty Images
In a bizarre sequence of events that echoed the plot of a Stieg Larsson novel, Swedish prosecutors on Saturday initially indicated that they were seeking to arrest WikiLeaks frontman Julian Assange in connection with a rape and molestation investigation, but they later issued a statement that Assange was no longer wanted.
A statement headed "Assange No Longer Wanted" was posted on the English-language page of the Swedish Prosecution Authority's Web site. It reads: "Chief prosector Eva Finné has come to the desicion that Julian Assange is not suspected of rape. Considering that, Assange is no longer arrested in his absence." The statement added that "Eva Finné will make no other comments during Saturday night."
The prosecutor's statement was the latest twist in a head-spinning drama that started on Friday night with headlines in the Swedish tabloid Expressen alleging that Swedish authorities wanted to question Assange in connection with rape allegations. After the report began to circulate worldwide, WikiLeaks issued multiple responses via its Twitter account denying the allegations. An early statement said: "We were warned to expect 'dirty tricks'. Now we have the first one." A later tweet, attributed to Assange himself, said: "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."
Somewhat strangely—although in the WikiLeaks saga almost nothing is too strange—a few hours later the "official blog" on the WikiLeaks site issued a statement on behalf of "The WikiLeaks Team" that was more equivocal. "On Saturday 21st of August, we have been made aware of rape allegations made against Julian Assange, founder of this project and one of our spokespeople. We are deeply concerned about the seriousness of these allegations. We the people behind WikiLeaks think highly of Julian and he has our full support."
It ended with a declaration that "While Julian is focusing on his defenses and clearing his name, WikiLeaks will be continuing its regular operations." The prosecutor's statement announcing that there was no case against Assange was posted around the same time. (A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office did not respond to a voice mail from Declassified requesting further comment. Assange did not respond to multiple e-mail inquiries.)
The lurid on-again/off-again allegations are bound to fuel the already rampant paranoia of both WikiLeaks supporters and Assange himself, a nomadic figure who associates say is difficult to locate and contact at the best of times. News reports said he had visited Sweden last week to speak at a meeting of the Swedish opposition Social Democrat Party and that he was also going to apply for a publishing license that would grant WikiLeaks, which uses computer servers in Sweden, some sort of special immunity under Swedish whistle-blower-protection laws.
The latest turns in the case are eerily evocative of both the storylines and characters in the trilogy of thrillers by Stieg Larsson, the Swedish investigative reporter who died in 2004 and whose novels have lately become international publishing phenomena. Apart from sometimes violent sexual overtones, the Swedish political and social backdrop to Larsson's novels features feckless prosecutors and sinister secret policemen. Among Larsson's main characters are world-class computer hackers (Assange's background allegedly includes hacking), private investigators, and left-wing journalists.
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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.
Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.
Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."
Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.
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