AFP Swedish court to decide on WikiLeaks founder's fate <\/p>\n
Stockholm (AFP) - Julian Assange has lost a court bid to get an arrest warrant against him scrapped, leaving the WikiLeaks founder marooned in the Ecuadoran embassy in London where he sought refuge more than two years ago. <\/p>\n
The 43-year-old Assange fears extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual molestation, which he denies. <\/p>\n
At the hearing in Stockholm District Court, prosecutors demanded that the warrant, issued in late 2010, should be upheld to secure Assange's return to Sweden. <\/p>\n
They rejected Assange's suggestion that they question him in London. <\/p>\n
\"It would involve questioning a number of people a second or third time, among them possibly Mr Assange,\" prosecutor Marianne Ny told a press conference. <\/p>\n
\"To what extent this questioning can be carried out with the help of judicial assistance from our colleagues in Britain is difficult to say.\" <\/p>\n
- 'We will appeal' - <\/p>\n
Assange's defence team, which had maintained that the investigation had been unreasonably long, said it would appeal the ruling. <\/p>\n
\"The last word hasn't been said yet on this,\" said Thomas Olsson, a member of Assange's defence team. <\/p>\n
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