Assange Handed Extradition Notice, Requested to Return to Police Custody

On Thursday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was served a surrender notice by London police. Police delivered the letter to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where Assange has been staying for over a week.

Scotland Yard said they had "served a surrender notice upon a 40-year-old man that requires him to attend a police station at a date and time of our choosing. This is standard practice in extradition cases and is the first step in the removal process," the Guardian/UK reports.

Assange has been vying for political asylum while staying at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, since last week. Assange claims that the UK high court's decision to allow his extradition to Sweden to face questions over allegations of sex offenses is part of a politically motivated attempt to silence his work.

Sources say Assange has been ordered to present himself at the Belgravia police station at 11.30am on Friday; however, the Foreign Office has confirmed that Assange is "beyond the reach of the police" while he remains in the embassy.

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Police officers stand outside Ecuador's embassy (Reuters/Paul Hackett)

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