Wikileaks creator, Julian Assange, was detained at a London police station on Dec. 7, 2010 after willingly turning himself in. He was arrested on accusations of rape and alleged sexual misconduct.
On the same day as his arrest, Assange went to court. Many notable journalists, film makers and artists offered to pay Assange’s bail. However, Assange was denied bail and remained in custody until Dec. 14. He was released on a $370,000 bail on Dec. 16.
Assange threatened to release additional government cables if anything should happen to Wikileaks. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7.
It is possible that the United States will request extradition, where Assange may face more serious charges.
According to U.S. law, Assange is in violation of the Espionage Act of 1917 for leaking 250,000 government cables. The web site has been releasing these cables to the New York Times, Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and El Pais among other notable newspapers.
Even if Assange is charged, there are still several thousand web sites that mirror the original Wikileaks web site.
After court on the day he was arrested, Assange said, “Wikileaks will continue. Wikileaks is many thousands of journalists around the world.”