PULLING BACK

Ecuador Removes Assange’s Extra Security at London Embassy

Order came from Ecuadorian president, after $5m spy expense was exposed.

Ecuador will remove the extra security it assigned to its London embassy, where Julian Assange has been holed up for six years. The president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, ordered the move a day after The Guardian exposed that the country had funded a $5 million spy operation to protect Assange, which involved using undercover agents to monitor his visitors, embassy staff, and British police. The former president who approved the security measures, Rafael Correa, defended them as “routine and modest.” But a spokesperson for his successor said Friday: “The president of the republic, Lenin Moreno, has ordered that any additional security at the Ecuadorian embassy in London be withdrawn immediately. From now on, it will maintain normal security similar to that of other Ecuadorian embassies.” In March, Ecuador cut off Assange’s internet connection after political comments on Twitter.