Julian Assange to defy surrender notice

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said he will “almost certainly” ignore a surrender notice issued to him by Scotland Yard.

Assange has been inside the Embassy of Ecuador in London since last week seeking political asylum as part of his bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about alleged sex offences.

The 40-year-old told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that he will not be heeding the note delivered by officers from the Metropolitan Police yesterday morning, telling him to attend Belgravia police station at 11.30am today.

Asked if he would be going to the central London police station, he said: “Our advice is that asylum law both internationally and domestically takes precedence over extradition law so almost certainly not.”