THE UNITED States is preparing a secret indictment to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Washington to face espionage charges, he said yesterday as he spent his first day after his release on bail from jail on a 600-acre estate in the east of England.
Speaking outside Ellingham Hall, Mr Assange said he is depending on international public opinion to stop “an illegal investigation” by the US, which, he said, is angry because “a lot of face has been lost” by people affected by the disclosure of thousands of US diplomatic cables.
His lawyer, Mark Stephens, said a US grand jury is meeting in Alexandria, outside Washington, to prepare an indictment against the Australian, while some legal experts have said that espionage charges are possible if prosecutors could show that Mr Assange had encouraged Pte Bradley Manning, the man alleged to have leaked the cables, to do so.
However, Mr Assange denies knowing Pte Manning, who is now held in solitary confinement awaiting trial: “I had never heard of the name Bradley Manning before it was published in the press,” he told ABC’s Good Morning America.
This was one of a host of global television interviews he gave yesterday morning outside Ellingham Hall, which is owned by journalist and businessman Vaughan Smith.
“WikiLeaks technology designed from the very beginning to make sure that we never know the identities or names of people submitting us material,” he said.
Later, he appeared to contradict himself, saying: “We can see that he’s the only person, only one of our military sources, who has been accused.”
Mr Assange was reunited with his mother, Christine, at his temporary home, which has been in the hands of the Smith family for over 150 years, on Thursday night, though she will fly back to Australia for Christmas.
Mr Smith told journalists Mr Assange will be free to invite guests to join him. “I am a host, not a jailor,” he said.
Ms Assange (59) told journalists: “It is good to have a break from the fight and enjoy the moment. The war is not over but this battle is. I want him to be healthy and happy and safe. I might tell him to get a bullet-proof vest.”
Her son is wanted by the Swedish authorities in connection with charges that he had non-consensual sex with two women during a visit to Stockholm, though Mr Assange has repeatedly denied the allegations: “That is something that actually needs monitoring, it needs scrutiny.”
Neither the British authorities nor the British Crown Prosecution Service have detailed the charges against him, he said: “ heard that it did not need to provide a shred of evidence – said this three times – and in fact has provided nothing, not a single shred of evidence in its extradition hearings, in the hearings that ended up putting me in solitary confinement for 10 days.”
Under the conditions of his bail, Mr Assange has been fitted with an electronic tag.
Yesterday, he visited nearby Beccles police station to register with the police, as he is required to do every day. The station will be closed over the Christmas break, so officers will visit him at the mansion.