Sweden Withdraws Warrant for WikiLeaks Founder (Saying Rape Suspicion Unfounded)

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Aug 21, 11:45 AM EDT

Sweden withdraws warrant for WikiLeaks founder
By KARL RITTER
Associated Press Writer

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Swedish prosecutors withdrew an arrest warrant for the founder of WikiLeaks on Saturday, saying less than a day after the document was issued that it was based on an unfounded accusation of rape.
The accusation had been labeled a dirty trick by Julian Assange and his group, who are preparing to release a fresh batch of classified U.S. documents from the Afghan war.

Swedish prosecutors had urged Assange - a nomadic 39-year-old Australian whose whereabouts were unclear - to turn himself in to police to face questioning in one case involving suspicions of rape and another based on an accusation of molestation.

"I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape," chief prosecutor Eva Finne said, in announcing the withdrawal of the warrant. She did not address the status of the molestation case, a less serious charge that would not lead to an arrest warrant.

Prosecutors did not answer phone calls seeking further comment. Assange had dismissed the rape allegations in a statement on WikiLeaks' Twitter page, saying "the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing." His whereabouts were not immediately known. He was in Sweden last week seeking legal protection for the whistle-blower website, which angered the Obama administration for publishing thousands of leaked documents about U.S. military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SWEDEN_WIKILEAKS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

[TroglodyteScholar]

1. Sweden withdraws warrant for WikiLeaks founder

Source: AP

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Swedish prosecutors have withdrawn an arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying the rape suspicions against him are unfounded.

In a brief statement Saturday, chief prosecutor Eva Finne says: "I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape."

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SWEDEN_WIKILEAKS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

---

Thought this deserved its own thread...

[mike r]

2. Dirty trick didn't work

evidently.

[Downwinder]

3. It could constitute a warning shot. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

9. Perhaps Assange will end up as a suicide, like Dr. David Kelly

Those that buck the system will meet an untimely fate.

[RufusTFirefly]

35. If they had been able to get him in a jail, however briefly, I'm sure that would've happened. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

37. People are known to commit suicide in jail

or in police custody.

[valerief]

88. Yep, both commit suicide and get suicided. nt

[ChadwickHenryWard]

127. I don't think they would have actually charged him.

I think this was most likely an attempt to get him to turn himself in. They knew he was innocent, and the best way to prove your innocence is to turn yourself in. Once he was in custody, they could drop the rape charge immediately (they knew it was bullshit, of course,) but they could initiate extradition proceedings. It seems, however, that Assange is not that stupid - he already knew he would be a target for dirty tricks, so he could have suspected that they would fabricate evidence. I don't think anything untoward would have happened to him. Sweden has a much better reputation than that.

[Amonester]

128. Money can buy any so-called public servant(s) nowadays.

And especially when it's BIG (and comes from borrowed funds), better reputation be damned.

This modern world (ok, it's been like that since money's been "invented", though).

[Lucky Luciano]

4. I am shocked I tell yoy! Shocked! nt

[Frisbee]

5. I had a CNN breaking news about this...

in my mailbox when I got up this morning, and the very first thing I thought was "He's being framed". Glad to see the charges have been dropped.

[TaffyMoon]

6. I see the hand of the

CIA

[Jefferson23]

7. I so wish you well Assange, I fear this is only the beginning. n/t

[NYMdaveNYI]

77. I concur, I fear the clouds on the horizon. |nt|

[IndianaGreen]

8. There is a stench of dirty tricks to this!

Richard Nixon is alive and well!

[SpiralHawk]

10. D'oh

The stank was palpable even across the big pond.

[mogster]

11. Will this just die now?

Or could it be that the identities to the people involved will be known?

Please note that this isn't just an attack on Assange but on all real rape victims as well.

[femrap]

29. [phone] nt

[Hissyspit]

32. Glenn Greenwald:

"I hope there's a real investigation into how/why these unfounded rape accusations against Assange were validated by Swedish authorities."

[mogster]

61. Great

I hope the hidden paths are revealed and the accusators will come forward. I won't be surprised to see their political color, though ;-)

[kgnu_fan]

65. kick!

[WhiteTara]

12. that was one of the shortest swift boats that I have ever

seen. Go Julian. My new hero :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[chrisa]

13. The US media will NOT report this in 3... 2... 1...

They, however, had no problem reporting the initial accusations.

Pathetic smear campaign by an angry grunt in the Pentagon. Nothing to see here, move along.

[JudyInTheHeartland]

14. Wikileaks must have a bunch of dirt on Sweden

:tinfoilhat:

[Downwinder]

15. Since the Government says they don't know where he is. He might

not have even been in Sweden.

[reorg]

16. No, they got a call

from the DOD telling them no thanks, enough with the creeps in online forums praising the "elegance" of fascism: if you want to help us do it just a wee bit more subtle.

[JudyInTheHeartland]

18. That "insurance" file was all about Sweden! I knew it!

hehe

[liberation]

44. I believe wikileaks is now being hosted by the Swedish pirate party.

Ergo the possible Swede connection.

[SlingBlade]

17. So. How's that Changy Hopey thing been work'in out ?

[SarahB]

19. People are unrecommending this thread. Unbelieveable. nt

[Downwinder]

22. In a virtual world, anything is believable. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

23. Neocons and neoliberals that want us to remain in a permanent state of war

The same assholes that told us that Saddam had WMD, and that consider Daniel Ellsberg to be a traitor.

[SlingBlade]

25. K $ R That !

[HillbillyBob]

42. I begin to think that the neo fascists(nothing new there)

want a constant state fo fear and misery so they can 'save' us with yet more fear and misery.

[readmoreoften]

57. +1

[ChiciB1]

114. Well Said! And A Mouthfull... And The List Is Too Long to List All The

DAMAGE that has been created from within corruption leading out of Washington D.C.!! "We The People" have long been lied to and expected to stand strong for the HOMELAND!!

Just saying "the homeland" that is in vogue so much these days sounds nefarious enough for me!!

[IndianaGreen]

20. John Pilger predicted the Pentagon was going to smear Wikileaks and rely on MSM

Thanks to DUer reorg:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4512622#4512844

Why WikiLeaks must be protected
John Pilger
Published 19 August 2010
New Statesman


There is understandably hysteria on high, with demands that the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, be "hunted down" and "rendered". In Washington, I interviewed a senior official in the defence department and asked: "Can you give a guarantee that the editors of WikiLeaks and the editor-in-chief, who is not American, will not be subjected to the kind of manhunt that we read about in the media?" He replied: "It's not my position to give guarantees on anything."

(...) A Pentagon document states bluntly that US intelligence intends to "fatally marginalise" WikiLeaks. The preferred tactic is smear, with corporate journalists ever ready to play their part.

http://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2010/08/pilger-wikileaks-afghanistan

[dmosh42]

34. Hard to believe Halliburton and gang would do this! Duh! n/t

[kgnu_fan]

64. Their playbook is thin but they rely on ignorance which they encourage

[Occulus]

72. Ya know, that looks an awful lot like an admission in and of itself

I especially liked this:

" A Pentagon document states bluntly that US intelligence intends to "fatally marginalise" WikiLeaks. The preferred tactic is smear, with corporate journalists ever ready to play their part."

Ah, but your amateurish and transparent attempt at exactly that has rendered the tactic itself useless. Sleep well, now. G'night.

:D

[kgnu_fan]

79. Their stench is unmistakable... oh, man....

[fascisthunter]

21. wow... they tried to screw him with a trumped up rape charge

how fucking transparent

[peacetalksforall]

130. It's so un-original.

[SarahB]

24. This sound very much like the Sweden Steig Larsson described in the "Millenium" books

Those of you who have read "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" know what I'm talking about.

[Hissyspit]

26. "A police investigation will continue..."

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67K0ZU20100821

"She (Finne) has come to the decision that he is no longer suspected of rape. All the charges concerning rape have been lifted," she told Reuters.

A police investigation will continue.

Wish I could write the novel!

[SarahB]

27. Yep. I'm only surprised that a police spokesman has not labeled Assange as a

"Sadomasochistic Gay Biker" or something.

[kgnu_fan]

66. Swedish people are much more sophisticated and educated

[BlueMTexpat]

80. I LOVE those books!

I hate that there are only three in the series and that Larsson himself is no longer with us. There were many death threats against him when he was alive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stieg_Larsson

[tomm2thumbs]

28. makes me think the newest WikiLeak files the Pentagon is previewing must be pretty bad

can only wonder what is in it -but I doubt it is a coincidence regarding the timing

[Pavulon]

30. Release the hounds...Blood hounds that is..

[DFW]

31. Gee, this wouldn't be Karl Rove and the dirty tricks team rehearsing again, would it?

Naaaah....couldn't be............

[stevedeshazer]

33. A MAJOR FAIL by the right wing.

:)

[davepc]

49. Right wing? think shit like this happens via the CIA without somebody knowing at the White House?

[stevedeshazer]

125. It must be really painful for you to think you are so much smarter than everyone else.

Give me a break, smartass.

You're really a genius, dave.

[Hissyspit]

36. From Wikipedia:

Real editing war going on there.

I copied this from the Julian Assange page a few minutes ago and now the whole section is gone. It keeps coming up and disappearing.

"In an interview with the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, the older of the two women who resides in Stockholm, told that both events started as voluntary sex but later turned into a molestation and rape respectively. She told that they had both given a detailed report of the events to the police, and that she didn't know the other woman nor Assange from before. She also denied that the claims were orchestrated by The Pentagon or any other party, saying that "the responsibility of what happened to me and the other girl lies entirely on one man's skewed view of women and problem to take a 'no' for an answer"."

[Hissyspit]

40. Telegraph UK: "Some sources in the Swedish media claimed the two women did not actually report..."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/7957882/Rape-claim-against-Wikileaks-founder-Julian-Assange-withdrawn.html

"Then, shortly after friends said he was preparing to attend a police station of his own accord, there was a further statement from the prosecutor's office saying that the matter had been dropped."

- snip -

"Making false accusations of rape or molestation is a criminal offence punishable by jail in Sweden. Some sources in the Swedish media claimed that the two women did not actually report the case to the police, but that the prosecutor had taken it up anyway."

[chatnoir]

47. Wow, Sweden

The two women did not report this to the police yet the prosecutor took it up anyway??

:wtf:

[ananda]

52. Gawd, shades of Al Gore!

tiresome

[mogster]

62. That's correct

It goes out from the original article that they only consulted the police, not making a formal accusation. This enables the police, probably on a local level, to spin the story without actually touching the law system.

One day I'll tell my story, Hissyspit. You'll be surprised at how rotten the police system can be up here in Scandi-land. Thanks for being onto this case, as always.

[superconnected]

86. Here's what Wikileaks says

"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 and he has our full support.

While Julian is focusing on his defenses and clearing his name, WikiLeaks will be continuing its regular operations.

The WikiLeaks team

By WikiLeaks on August 21, 2010

Tags: NEWS, OfficialStatement"

http://blog.wikileaks.org/

----------

and here's their twitter account:

https://twitter.com/wikileaks

[boppers]

60. [[citation needed]]

Good to see that it's being hashed on wikipedia, though.

[Peace Patriot]

38. Wow, that was fast. Credit to whoever it was it was in the Swedish government who

looked into these charges, found that they were false and got a swift retraction from the prosecutors. Hope we learn the backstory on this one. Somebody's been PLAYED--and Sweden, which has long tried to remain neutral in various U.S. "military-industrial complex" wars, may well be the first country to blow the cover off U.S. war profiteer black ops and dirty tricks.

[RufusTFirefly]

39. Perhaps we'll all be eating "Freedom Meatballs" soon. n/t

[Bodhi BloodWave]

41. out of curiosity, is there any proof that this is a MIC/CIA ploy then there was against assange?

For all we know Assange himself or one of his friends might have gotten the charges put against him to make the pentagon/CIA look really bad(after all, the rape charge is one of the most obvious ploys around), with the added bonus of making Assange look quite sympathetic.


Or for that matter it might just be some from 4chan who decided to help assange by making the Pentagon/CIA look bad(knowing the case would be tossed rather quickly)

And no, I don't think any of the two above ideas are accurate, but I'm also not going to start assuming that the pentagon/CIA is behind this without any proof.

What I personally consider more likely is that those ladies who brought the charges learned of him in the news and decided to try cashing in(for one thing or another, not always money involved, fame/infamous rep is also something some crave).

Addendum: While I am happy the Rape charges against him have been dropped, has the molestation charges been dropped, there seem to be some uncertainty there are a few sites I've looked at say they have, others say that charge is still being investigated.

[IndianaGreen]

43. Or, to use your twisted logic, perhaps this is a Klingon plot!

If you want to investigate rape charges, you need to look no further than the Pentagon.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

48. Naah, don't think we have discovered the Klingons yet

And my twisted logic was based on pure speculation except for the glory/fame hog comment which I actually do think is the most likely explanation(I might be expecting to much from the CIA and Pentagon black ops tho, in regards to believing they woulda done some better work to make the charges stick when looked at). It does have about the same amount of evidence as all the talk of a CIA/Pentagon plot tho :p

[liberation]

46. Oh, man... the "good American" brigade is mighty late this morning!

I take weekends are not 2x overtime for these guys?

LOL

[Bodhi BloodWave]

50. This norwegian would like to know more about the 'good american' brigade :)

Por favor


I was quite open that I didn't believe what i posted was accurate, I was just pointing out there is no evidence that there is a CIA/Pentagon plot, and i consider the 'glory/fame hog' mindset of some people to be a more likely explanation of the charges

Addendum: And its almost half past nine in the evening :D

[superconnected]

90. Post 20, and if you bother to do even a little homework you'd know they also tried to smear manning.

[sabrina 1]

55. No, but Wikileaks did find CIA documents

which they released a few months ago, showing that the CIA had decided that the best way to silence him was to smearhim.

So naturally they are the #1 suspects. Iow, if you don't want to be falsely accused of something, DON'T plan on doing it in the first place.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

59. Now that last line there, i agree with you on 100% N/T

[LostinVA]

45. Gosh, what a surpise

NOT.

[AllyCat]

51. but, but, but CNN says he did...now who is right?

[kgnu_fan]

83. CNN is long gone to otherside

[AllyCat]

132. Amazingly enough, lots of people still believe the garbage they spew

[alp227]

53. SWEDEN? Why Sweden?

Who was that accuser, a plant by the CIA?

[NYMdaveNYI]

78. I’d bet you anything they were |nt|

[Dr.Phool]

54. *****BREAKING***** Blitzer claims Assange molested him!

"He promised me an interview, and I didn't get it! Now, anybody got any mouthwash?"

[tomm2thumbs]

58. +1

although he'd probably skip the mouthwash

[Capitalocracy]

56. Well that was quick...

But of course, for his detractors, especially on the right, he will forever be smeared as a rapist and they will raise that "point" every time he is mentioned. Awesome.:eyes:

[kgnu_fan]

63. haha, that "predictable pentagon guy" is not in this thread!

[Old Vet]

68. Mr Assange,

You've pissed off some of the nastiest, evil, motherfuckers around, Please be safe. There are no boundaries or limits to stop anymore leaks of the bullshit being pulled by the DOD, etc.

[Pavulon]

70. He should worry about the ISI, you know the folks

he said were funding the Taliban. They may take offense to that, especially if he actually had proof. The CIA may be happy to help them or others find him or his family. If he is going to compromise their people they will compromise his people as well.

You are correct, by stepping into this space without the protection of a nation he has no protection or safe harbor nor do his friends or family not residing in the US.

The CIA requires very high level sign off to kill people like him, others, well who knows.

[kgnu_fan]

71. All those people (CIA, ISI, MI5 ...) seem to be run by the same something, same goal

Suppression of true democracy....

[Pavulon]

73. You mean MI6. Now how is a snitch list

relevant to "democracy"? Everything else in there was already suspected, other than the list of names.

He leaked nothing that provided any revelation in the war or its conduct. They all play by different rules, others are far less constrained than the CIA these days.

Nothing he leaks will alter the results of the election in which Obama said he would exit Iraq, (and is) and Afghanistan when it is appropriate. Actually any release of information intended to change that (which these guys said was their goal) subverts democracy.

[Downwinder]

74. All this over a "snitch list," no way. They would drop them like they

did the Indian scouts, back on the reservation.

[Pavulon]

76. It obviously not that important since

he is not negotiating over the lives of his family or in the event of that failing they (he) are not just gone.

Pretty sure if he was going to dump us assets names other action would be taken.

[Hissyspit]

100. Use of "snitch list" is not helpful for your credibility.

The marginalization tactic is not very effective so far and is awfully reminiscent of FoxNews.

Pentagon Spokesperson, Aug. 11: "We've yet to see any harm come to anyone in Afghanistan that we can directly tie to exposure in the WL documents"

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkpoint-washington/2010/08/pentagon_undisclosed_wikileak.html

Revelations in War Diaries were confirmation of suspicions, not the same as suspicions, and the point is that anti-Democratic forces within a government will be exposed by removing or reducing secrecy. But you knew all that. So absurd that you're making this an anti-Obama thing.

[Forkboy]

129. The only cred he has is in his tiny head anyways.

Fox is a step up on the propaganda ladder.

[Pavulon]

136. Sorry if I was going to destroy my life for something

face the death penalty but for sure die in prison, literally never seeing the sun again. I would be real fucking sure about it, I would not be on suicide watch after making that call.

Manning seems a bit unsure. Other than the criminal act, what exactly has been delivered that has value?

So basically he is going to die alone for dumping a bunch of low level shit to his "hacker" buddies.

[Pavulon]

135. No Obama has been quite clear on leakers.

he holds them in low regard. Manning will die in federal custody after being prosecuted by the Obama DOJ. Obama has done the right thing.

Other than names I have seen nothing profound in the documents. Although I only red a few thousand pages not the entire 90,000 docs.

[sabrina 1]

105. He's been busy on the other one n/t

[kgnu_fan]

122. well, whatever he is working on, it is not about strengthening of our democracy

He is into militarization of our society.

[sabrina 1]

131. Yes, I know, I assume he has watched too much tv

and has never been educated about the laws of this country and the Constitution as he appears to have zero knowledge of what this country is all about and actually boasts about the violations of our Constitution and International law. As I said, too much tv and apparently he's misguided regarding what constitutes the bad guys v the good guys.

[Pavulon]

137. Read a book. If that is too old school try google, who killed diem?

what was the bay of pigs? What did the cia do in latin america? Who bought and paid for the Japanese government for 2 decades? Try Legacy of Ashes or The Puzzle Palace, interesting reads.

And finally who is currently signing orders that allow facial recognition software to hunt, target and kill people on multiple continents in real time? Where does the buck stop?

Educate yourself about the system that exists and its past operations to understand its current role. It is quite real and you pay for it every year.

[mother earth]

67. What's the first thing you do with a whistleblower? You attack

reputation/credibility. This is not new.

[kgnu_fan]

69. Be safe! Julian!

[Bitwit1234]

75. Somebody wanted to punish him.

I think it is about time that when some woman yells rape, the man in question's identity should also be kept secret till it is proven one way or the other if he is really involved. Look at Gore. Over and over it has been proven the woman had no proof and was a nut who had concocted several other attempts to get money. Now we have this. Which as Sweden says is unfounded, but this mans reputation is now forever besmirched. I think when a woman tells a "story" and is proved wrong SHE should be the one prosecuted. First she makes it hard for a woman (or a man) who has really been raped.Second it forever ruins the man's reputation.

[superconnected]

87. He's not besmirched - most people saw this for what it was

The "Unfounded" will resound everytime the RW calls him a rapist.

[kgnu_fan]

96. kick

[LawnKorn]

81. This was just a dry run. The CIA wanted to see what world opinion would be to an assault on Assange

I fully expect to see a headline describing how Julian Assange tragically died in a small airplane crash. The plane goes down over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Italy. There will be no witnesses; no survivors.

[kgnu_fan]

82. I do not like those scenario writing....

[ChiciB1]

116. Shades Of Paul Wellstone!! And MANY Others... Again With Big Brother...

The Homeland and let's not for get George Orwell! Boy was ever a DARK movie!!

[Prometheus Bound]

84. Looks like Sweden is the big loser in this mess. Prosecutors really embarrassed their country.

[kgnu_fan]

93. I think they proved their sanity.

[Prometheus Bound]

120. Can you explain what you mean?

[kgnu_fan]

121. They are able to quickly turn around and remove themselves from the trap of USA war criminals.

I do hope that their intelligence is faster next time.

[Prometheus Bound]

123. I was thinking of this comment in the Telegraph.

Some sources in the Swedish media claimed that the two women did not actually report the case to the police, but that the prosecutor had taken it up anyway.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/7957882/Rape-claim-against-Wikileaks-founder-Julian-Assange-withdrawn.html

[kgnu_fan]

124. Yes, I have seen that. They swing back to topple that faster than people in the USA

[wial]

85. strikes me, sad to say

this did the damage it was meant to do. Suddenly he's tainted. Every news site carrying it on the front page.

I guess wikileaks could work to expose who did it.

[kgnu_fan]

94. To my eyes, Wikileaks exposed the true color of stinky pit

[primavera]

89. Wikileaks 1, CIA 0

I wonder what bumbling ploy we'll come up with next to discredit Assange? How about we slip him a mickey and then take compromising photos of him with a prostitute while he's unconscious?

[superconnected]

91. Front of CNN - Clears Assange

http://www.cnn.com/

[kgnu_fan]

95. CNN is so lame

[superconnected]

97. for?

[superconnected]

92. Fox news - Tiny entry that assange is no longer suspect in it's new feed lines on front - will be

gone soon.

http://www.foxnews.com/

[Name removed]

98. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kgnu_fan]

101. not women, see the real instigator first!

[Hissyspit]

102. Use of bitch in your post

Will get it deleted. If you want the rest of your comment to be visible, you should probably edit it.

[superconnected]

107. Hi advocating women to be raped also caused me to alert.

very disturbing poster.

[Hissyspit]

117. I didn't read past the first use of "b."

I probably should have just alerted on it.

[LAGC]

99. As the saying goes: MESS WITH THE BULL, GET THE HORNS.

Stay safe Julian. You are truly messing with serious powers-that-be that obviously have no moral compunction whatsoever about doing whatever it takes to destroy you, one way or another. Let's just hope it stays at the level of "dirty tricks" and attempted character assassinations and doesn't escalate to real violence against Assange. He's really playing with fire, but it needs to be done!

EXPOSE THE BASTARDS!

[kgnu_fan]

103. And it is so disturbing that those bastards and thier advocates are among us here on this board!

[superconnected]

104. Yeah but you can sure tell by their posts.

[kgnu_fan]

106. Yes. surely.

[Snarkoleptic]

108. Looks like the PTB are trying to give him the Scott Ritter treatment.

[superconnected]

109. Sweden drops rape accusation against founder of WikiLeaks

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/21/sweden.wikileaks.charge/index.html?hpt=T1

Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- Swedish authorities say they have revoked an arrest warrant that had alleged rape against Julian Assange, the founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, less than a day after issuing it.

Assange is "no longer wanted" and "is not suspected of rape," Chief Prosecutor Eva Finne said in a statement posted on the agency's official website Saturday. He is also no longer arrested in absentia, the statement said.

The arrest warrant filed Friday had also mentioned a molestation charge, but molestation -- which is not limited to child victims in Sweden -- is not a crime punishable behind bars in Sweden.

Karin Rosander, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, told CNN affiliate TV4 that Assange is still being investigated for molestation. Earlier, Rosander told CNN that Assange was arrested in absentia Friday night, and faced charges in relation to two separate instances, but she did not have more detail about when the alleged crimes occurred or the identities of the alleged victims.

Read more: Cnn.com

[Duckhunter935]

110. yep for 60th time today

Been on here all day long in other threads

[Merlot]

111. Mr. Assange is accused of raping Sweden?

Well, bushco did rape the US, so I guess anythings possible...

[superconnected]

112. Maybe he raped their servers.

Go Assange!

[laylah]

113. Color me surprised...

NOT!

Jenn

[ChiciB1]

115. Well, The REAL Story Seems To Be This... UNTIL Assange Started Dumping

dirt, THERE WAS NO RAPE story that I had heard of before. Admittedly, I don't follow rape charge made against most people, but Assange "dumps" bad news, Assange is accused of rape!!

How weird!! NOT!

[Golden Raisin]

118. A warning shot

has been fired across Assange's bow. He has been publicly put on notice that he is marked for punishment/retribution/death. Sweden was only the vehicle, not the source. This emanates from Washington, D.C.

[kgnu_fan]

119. Indeed.

[tabatha]

126. It may also have been an attempt to find out where he is.

[pleah]

133. K&R

[Oceansaway]

134. K&R...n/t