A DNC staffer shot dead in an affluent suburb of Washington D.C. last month may have leaked 20,000 party emails to Wikileaks, Julian Assange has hinted.

Seth Conrad Rich, 27, was gunned down in the street in the early hours of July 10 while on the phone to his girlfriend.

In an interview with Dutch television on Tuesday, Assange said that 'our whistleblowers go to significant efforts to get us material and often very significant risks'. In the same breath he cited Rich's murder 'on the streets of Washington just a few weeks ago'.

On the same day, Wikileaks offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in Rich's murder.

This has added fuel to conspiracy theories that Rich leaked embarrassing emails that were released at the start of the party's convention, revealing that the party had conspired against Bernie Sanders and leading to the resignation of Democratic party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on July 24.

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Murdered: Seth Conrad Rich (pictured), 27, was gunned down in Washington D.C. last month

Reward: Wikileaks is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the death of Seth Rich

Rich was shot twice in the back. His body was found covered in bruises on the 2100 block of Flagler Place NW, but he still had his watch, cell phone and wallet on him. P olice have uncovered no clues to help solve his murder despite offering a $25,000 reward.

D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier has said that Rich may have been killed in an attempted robbery, but his family insist nothing was taken from him and the trail has gone cold.

His father Joel Rich told KMTV in July: 'If it was a robbery, it failed because he still has his watch, he still has his money, he still has his credit cards, still had his phone so it was a wasted effort except we lost a life.'

A police report seen by DailyMail.com also states the circumstances surrounding Rich's homicide are 'unknown'.

In the interview with Nieuwsuur, Wikileaks chief Assange said: 'Whistleblowers go to significant efforts to get us material and often very significant risks as a 27-year-old, works for the DNC who was shot in the back - murdered - just a few weeks ago for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington.'

Wikileaks chief Julian Assange floated the theory that Rich had leaked DNC emails

The reporter interrupts him to say: That was just a robbery, I believe, wasn't it?'

Assange then replies: 'No, there's no finding so...'

He is again interrupted to ask what he is trying to suggest. The Wikileaks founder replies: 'I'm suggesting our sources take risks. They become concerned to see things occurring like that.'

When he is directly asked if Rich was one of Wikileaks' sources, Assange refuses to answer, saying only: 'We don't comment on who our sources are.'

He goes on to say: 'We have to understand how high the stakes are in the United States and that our sources face serious risks. That's why they come to us so we can protect their anonymity.'

But Rich's father described the online claims as 'bizarre'.

He told the Washington Post: 'I don't think I want to comment. I hope the additional money helps find out who did this.

'I don't want to play Wikileaks' game.'

Wikileaks published thousands of emails that rocked the Democratic National Committee on the eve of the party's convention.

Assange says his group is in possession of 'a lot' of material related Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and that it will come out as the campaign proceeds.

This latest interview combined with the Wikileaks offer of a reward for information leading to a conviction in Rich's shooting has reignited the conspiracy theories that have been posted online including claims he leaked DNC emails or that he was on his way to speak to the FBI when he was shot.

Reddit user The_Donald also constructed a timeline that links Rich to the Clintons, as pointed out by Heat Street.

He then says Rich developed a relationship with environmentalists supporting Bernie Sanders.

They then suggest this relationship was somehow connected to his death. There is no evidence to suggest any of these claims are true.

DailyMail.com has contacted the FBI for comment.

Police looked on outside the synagogue as Rich's casket was put into the hearse following his funeral on Wednesday July 13

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has previously suggested the DNC leak may have been the work of an insider.

But he told DemocracyNow he didn't know their identity, and wouldn't reveal it if he did.

In an interview with Britain's ITV, he also suggested that anyone within the Democratic organization could have had access to the trove of emails.

Rich's death came after a spate of robberies in the neighborhood and DC police are now investigating if the murder is connected to those.

According to NCB Washington, on Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Peter Newsham said: 'At this time, we don't have any information to suggest that the case is in any way connected with his work at the DNC.'