BREAKING: Swedish Prosecutors Drop Julian Assange Rape Investigation

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10. Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-sweden-assange-idUSKCN18F0TC

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-sweden-assange-idUSKCN18F0TC



Big Story 12 | Fri May 19, 2017 | 8:00am EDT
Sweden drops Assange investigation, UK police says he still faces arrest
FILE PHOTO: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain February 5, 2016. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

By Simon Johnson and Michael Holden | STOCKHOLM/LONDON

Swedish prosecutors dropped an investigation on Friday of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a rape allegation, but British police said he would still be arrested if he left the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he has been holed up for nearly five years.

Assange, 45, took refuge in the embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over the rape allegation, which he denies.

He feared Sweden would hand him over to the United States to face prosecution over WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents in one of the largest information leaks in U.S. history.

Swedish Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny said the investigation had not been able to proceed because of legal obstacles. ......................