WikiLeaks Boss: 

'My Life Is Under Threat'

 

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has claimed his life is under threat as he prepares to fight an extradition attempt to Sweden over sexual assault claims.

 

Speaking outside a friend's home where he is staying after being released from prison on bail, he said there were "significant risks" facing him and his staff.

The 39-year-old, who is wanted in the Scandinavian country, denies the sex offense allegations and his lawyers claim the Swedish authorities are waging a "vendetta".

Strict conditions attached to his bail mean he is residing at Ellingham Hall, a country retreat on the Norfolk-Suffolk border owned by Vaughan Smith, the founder of London's Frontline journalism club.

He also has to report to a police station each day.

Assange told journalists: "There is a threat to my life. There is a threat to my staff. There are significant risks facing us."

The Australian said the sex offense allegations were a "travesty", adding: "No person should be exposed to that type of investigation and persecution".

 

Meanwhile, the Bank of America has halted all transactions for WikiLeaks.

It comes after other financial service providers - such as MasterCard, PayPal and Visa Europe - also restricted payments to the whistle-blowing website.

Assange has denounced the move as a "new type of business McCarthyism" in the United States.

WikiLeaks has been releasing thousands of secret diplomatic cables in recent weeks.

Assange believes the US is preparing to indict him on espionage charges because of the leaking.

And he claimed he had no hope of a fair trial if he is extradited to America.

Asked whether he had confidence in receiving a fair and unbiased trial if he was transferred to the US, he answered: "Absolutely not."

A spokeswoman for the US Department of Justice would say only that there was an "investigation into the WikiLeaks matter".

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