Removal van spotted outside Ecuador embassy as WikiLeaks founder’s bid to have case ‘set aside’ refused
Swedish appeals court upheld the detention order for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange - squashing his attempt to have the rape investigation dropped
SPECULATION that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is leaving the Ecuadorian embassy has mounted after a removal van was spotted outside the London quarters.
The rumours comes as the Swedish appeals court rejected Mr Assange's request to have a detention order lifted.
Footage taken from outside the embassy on Friday morning shows a removal van with people coming in and out of the building, placing objects in the van.
Sweden's Court of Appeal refused Mr Assange's request to have the case "set aside", ruling that no new information had emerged.
The decision, made by the Svea Court of Appeal, means that the arrest warrant still stands for the 45-year-old computer hacker.
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Mr Assange, who has been living in the embassy for four years to avoid arrest over the case, lodged a legal challenge following a decision by the United Nations Working Group in February that his confinement amounted to arbitrary detention.
But the appeal court said that after reviewing material in the case, it found that the Australian was still a suspect in a sex allegation.
Upholding a lower court's ruling, it said Swedish prosecutors are now actively trying to move the investigation forward, including planning on questioning Assange on Octoer 17.
The court said: "This means that there is at present no reason to set aside the detention order. Julian Assange's claim to that effect shall therefore be refused."
Mr Assange has consistently denied he was involved.
His Swedish defense lawyer Per Samuelsson said he would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
He told AP: "We are naturally disappointed that Swedish courts yet again choose to ignore Julian Assange's difficult life situation.
"They ignore the risk that he will be extradited to the United States."
The WikiLeaks founder has stayed at the embassy, believing that he will be extradited to the United States to be questioned over the activities of WikiLeaks if he travels to Sweden.
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