WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said on Friday he and colleagues were taking steps to protect themselves after death threats following the publication of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables on their website.
One of Assange's lawyers said he would also fight any attempt to extradite his client to face questions over alleged sexual misconduct, adding that he believed foreign powers were influencing Sweden in the matter.
Answering questions online from an undisclosed location, the 39-year-old Australian said anyone making threats against his life should be charged with incitement to murder.
"The threats against our lives are a matter of public record, however, we are taking the appropriate precautions to the degree that we are able when dealing with a superpower," Assange was quoted as saying on the Guardian website.
This guy is amazing. He's an unrepentant criminal who's demanding that others be charged with crimes for expressing strong discontent over his crimes. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that several leaked cables reveal concerns among American anti-terrorism officials over Arab states' lack of cooperation in shutting off cash spigots to terrorist organizations:
A classified memo sent by Mrs. Clinton last December made it clear that residents of Saudi Arabia and its neighbors, all allies of the United States, are the chief financial supporters of many extremist activities. “It has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority,” the cable said, concluding that “donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”
The dispatch and others offered similarly grim views about the United Arab Emirates (“a strategic gap” that terrorists can exploit), Qatar (“the worst in the region” on counterterrorism) and Kuwait (“a key transit point”).
Recommended
UPDATE: Assange is also trying to blackmail the international community by threatening to release uncensored, extremely damaging documents if he's arrested. He calls this secret cache of documents an "insurance" policy against facing justice:
Join the conversation as a VIP Member