Julian Assange extradition - is it legal to hide in an embassy?

Julian Assange has informed the BBC that he will almost certainly ignore a surrender notice served on him by The Metropolitan Police yesterday.

Mr Assange who has taken refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, is seeking asylum to prevent being sent back to Sweden where he is currently accused of rape and assault. The 40-year-old is claiming he was advised that asylum law takes full precedence over extradition law and so would not attend a police station as required by Scotland Yard. Mr Assange fears that if he is sent to Sweden he could be sent on to the United States to face charges over the Wikileaks website, resulting in imprinsonment. He has therefore asked for a guarantee that the US will not seek to prosecute him further.

Assange is under diplomatic protection in the embassy and cannot be arrested by police unless he steps outside the building in Knightsbridge. However, he remains in clear breach of his bail conditions, with a failure to surrender being a further breach of said conditions, making him liable for arrest.

Mr Assange, whose bail conditions include staying at a named address, in Suffolk between 22:00 and 08:00 BST, arrived at the embassy in Knightsbridge on Tuesday last week

Last month the Supreme Court upheld a High Court ruling that Assange's extradition was legal. Last week the same court refused an attempt by him to reopen his appeal against extradition, saying it was "without merit".

Ecuador is currently considering Assange's application for asylum.

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