By Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) – Julian Assange’s fiancée said on Monday that a report that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plotted to kill or kidnap the founder of WikiLeaks is a turning point in her fight against the extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States.
This week, US authorities will begin their appeal against a British judge’s refusal to extradite Assange, who is the target of 18 criminal charges that include violating a spy law. The magistrate agreed that Assange’s mental health problems put him at risk for suicide.
Last month, Yahoo News reported that CIA officials outlined options for former President Donald Trump’s government to deal with Assange while he was in hiding at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, including murdering or kidnapping him.
A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the Yahoo report. The US government attorney charged with prosecuting Assange did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This (Yahoo report) is a twist to the appeal, because it shows the true nature, the true origin, the true criminality of the US actions against Julian,” said his fiancée, Stella Moris, with whom Assange has two children, to reporters.
WikiLeaks rose to prominence when it began publishing thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Sweden asked for Assange’s extradition from the UK over allegations of sex crimes. When he lost the case refusing extradition in 2012, he fled to the Ecuadorian embassy.
(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball in Washington)
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