Sweden drops investigation into Julian Assange over rape allegations

  • 19/05/2017
Assange has taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 (Reuters)
Assange has taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 (Reuters)

Swedish prosecutors have dropped their investigation into Julian Assange over rape allegations.

"Chief prosecutor Marianne Ny has today decided to discontinue the preliminary investigation regarding suspected rape concerning Julian Assange," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The announcement comes after the Swedish government sent a letter to the government of Ecuador admitting there had been a "serious failure" by the prosecutor, including a "lack of initiative" to complete inquiries. 

A happy Mr Assange posted a picture of him smiling to his twitter.

Mr Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, after fleeing there to avoid extradition over the rape allegations.

He says he fears being extradited from Sweden to the US because of his involvement with WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 classified military files on the US' wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Newshub.