Updated: 11:01 AM ET, Thu April 11, 2019
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was found guilty Thursday in London for breaking his bail conditions that required him to appear on May 2 for an extradition hearing. Until then, Assange is currently in custody for the time being.
Assange’s alleged crime dates back to 2010 when he agreed to help Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence specialist, access Defense Department computers to disclose secretive government documents. The US Justice Department unveiled this information
Thursday morning, a few hours after authorities forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The case has since been sealed up until now, and with its unveiling, it has now marked a new chapter in the US government’s high-profile efforts to prevent classified documents and secretive information from being leaked.
Assange’s attorney, Barry Pollack, says the allegations against Assange in the indictment made public “boil down to encouraging a source to provide him information and taking efforts to protect the identity of that source. Journalists around the world should be deeply troubled by these unprecedented criminal charges.”
Assange and WikiLeaks also played in another separate allegation prior, regarding the Russian military intelligence hacking that illegally accessed Democratic Party servers during the 2016 election. However, special counsel Robert Mueller did not charge WikiLeaks or Assange with any crimes with the hacking that took place with the Russian military.
As of now, Assange will be transported to the Eastern District of Virginia federal court in the US, according to the indictment. Authorities and his lawyer stated that the US is seeking to extradite him. Assange has not entered a plea in US court as of yet.