26 May, 2017
Mr Assange said the United Kingdom had refused to confirm or deny whether there is a warrant from the US for his extradition, insisting he was happy to talk to the US Justice Department. "The proper war is just commencing".
"The inevitable inquiry into what has occurred in this moment of bad injustice is something that I hope will be more than just about me", he said, claiming that detention and extradition without charge had "become a feature of the European Union".
"This is a matter that's gone beyond anything I'm aware of", Sessions said at the time. "That is not acceptable".
Moments after the announcement, Assange's Twitter account posted a photo of him smiling.
Yesterday Swedish prosecutors announced they would discontinue their investigation into the claim.
Authorities in the United States have prepared charges to seek his arrest, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told CNN last month.
Police officers stand outside the Embassy of Ecuador in London to arrest Julian Assange for breaching his bail if he leaves Ecuador, May 19, 2017.
"Ecuador regrets that the Swedish prosecutor delayed more than four years in carrying out this interview", said Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Guillaume Long. Lawyer David Allen Green, who has followed the case, tweeted: "Once outside embassy, Assange more at risk from any United States extradition attempt than if he had gone to Sweden". Recent comments by the United States attorney general and director of the Central Intelligence Agency demonstrate the obvious need of Mr. Assange for asylum.
Ecuador's government welcomed the decision by Sweden, but said it was long overdue.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement that Sweden's Director of Public Prosecution, Marianne Ny, "today chose to discontinue the investigation" into a rape claim against Assange.
Ny added that the investigation could be reopened if Assange came to Sweden before the statute of limitations deadline for rape allegation in 2020.
But, "if he, at a later date, makes himself available, I will be able to decide to resume the investigation immediately".
But Swedish officials said the decision only drops the case and is not a ruling on Assange's guilt or innocence.
Assange's lawyer, Per Samuelson, said in an email statement that Assange had "proved his innocence". "Evidence in the case is available and that evidence should have been tested in court". It is not clear if that may change now that the investigation has been dropped.
Assange also lashed out at Sweden for taking seven years to investigate allegations he maintained were baseless.
TRT World's Sarah Morice reports from London.
