WikiLeaks inquiry reopened

Sweden's chief prosecutor said today she was reopening a preliminary investigation into rape charges against WikiLeaks founder…

Sweden's chief prosecutor said today she was reopening a preliminary investigation into rape charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In a statement, Marianne Ny said the decision to reopen the investigation was taken after further review of the case.

Prosecutors last month dropped an inquiry into alleged rape after ruling the allegations were unfounded. However, it carried on investigating charges of molestation.

Mr Assange denies any wrongdoing and claimed last month he had been warned by Australian intelligence of plans to discredit the whistle-blower website.

READ MORE

WikiLeaks last month published more than 70,000 secret military files on Afghanistan in what US officials have called one of the biggest security breaches in US military history.

The Pentagon said last month it would be the "height of irresponsibility" if WikiLeaks went through with a new threat to publish outstanding documents it had on the Afghan war. It wants the site to expunge all classified material from the internet and return the material it had to the US government.

Wikileaks promotes the leaking of information to fight government and corporate corruption. Earlier this year, it leaked a classified video showing a 2007 helicopter attack that killed a dozen people in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists.

Reuters