Swedish investigation into rape allegation against Assange will be reopened

Swedish prosecutors are to reopen an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, deputy director of prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson announced.

She told a press conference in Stockholm that circumstances had changes following Assange’s arrest last month when he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had lived for almost seven years.

Swedish prosecutors dropped the rape investigation in 2017 because they were unable to proceed while he remained inside the embassy.

Assange had also faced investigation for a second sex-related allegation in Sweden, which was dropped in 2017 because the statute of limitations had expired.

He denied both allegations.