Assange reveals British intel's messages discussing Swedish extradition plans

Image
ANI London
Last Updated : May 20 2013 | 3:00 PM IST

British government's intercept intelligence agency GCHQ is facing embarrassing revelations about internal correspondence in which Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been discussed.

The government eavesdropping agency apparently speculated that he is being framed by Swedish authorities seeking his extradition on rape allegations.

According to the Guardian, the records were revealed by Assange himself in an interview with Spanish television programme Salvados in which he explained that an official request for information gave him access to instant messages that remained unclassified by GCHQ.

The messages appear to contain speculation and chatter between GCHQ employees, but Assange gave little further explanation about exactly who they came from.

The WikiLeaks founder, who has spent the past 11 months in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden, claimed GCHQ had been unaware that it might have anything on him that was not classified.

The Cheltenham-based agency confirmed that GCHQ responded formally to the subject who made the request.

On its website, the agency said that as one of the UK's intelligence and security agencies, they gather and analyse digital and electronic signals from many channels, from all corners of the world, the report added.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 20 2013 | 2:57 PM IST

Next Story