Assange unleashes new threat

Julian Assange speaking from the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012. The WikiLeaks founder has been in the embassy for two years. Photo: AFP/Leon Neal

Julian Assange is promising another massive leak of information affecting 50 countries on Thursday to mark his two years holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

On the eve of that anniversary, the Australian editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks invited the worlds media to dial in to the embassy so he could download.

In his conference call late on Wednesday night, Australian time, Assange called former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr a liar; he chastised US President Barack Obama; he revealed he had done more kilometres than he could count on his cross-trainer; and he spoke of his pride in WikiLeaks state-of-the-art technical clout which had allowed him while confined in his diplomatic refuge to manage the evacuation of American intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden from Hong Kong during the largest ever intelligence manhunt the world has ever seen.

US whistleblower Edward Snowden. Julian Assange claimed to be assisting him from the Ecuador embassy in London Photo: Reuters/NBC News

But Assange is making time to watch the World Cup after 729 days of asylum in the embassy. "Of course, Ecuador undoubtedly deserves to win, he said, although he added Brazil probably would triumph. In any case, the reception in this building is quite difficult, which may have its advantages. Perhaps it makes it a bit harder for the bugs to transmit through the walls as well.

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Assange said police gather intelligence on visitors and that the British government has spent almost $10 million on 24-hour surveillance of the embassy lest he ever dare to leave the small building, close to Harrods in Knightsbridge.

If he does leave, he faces immediate extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sexual misconduct involving two women for which he is yet to be charged after four years. He dismisses it as a trumped-up, politically driven distraction from the main game: the United States, where Vice-President Joe Biden has called him a high-tech terrorist.

Julian Assange said former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr lied about the level of consular assistance offered to the WikiLeaks founder. Photo: Peter Rae

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Assange unleashes new threat