WikiLeaks’ Assange arrested in London, accused by US of conspiring in 2010 computer hacking attempt

British authorities arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in response to an American extradition request, and a US federal court unsealed an indictment charging him with a single count of conspiracy to hack a classified Defense Department computer.  Assange was taken into custody by British police after Ecuador rescinded his asylum at its embassy in London, ending a media-saturated standoff that lasted nearly seven years. British authorities originally sought custody of Assange for jumping bail after Sweden requested his extradition in a separate case stemming from sexual assault allegations. In an indictment unsealed hours later, Assange was accused of conspiring in 2010 with Chelsea Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst then known as Bradley Manning, and others to illegally obtain secret US military and diplomatic documents whose dissemination could be used to injure the United States. Outside court, one of Assange’s attorneys, Jennifer Robinson, said Assange would fight extradition to the United States. She called the action against him “a dangerous precedent for all news media.”