The global police agency INTERPOL said Wednesday it had alerted member states to arrest WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange on suspicion of rape on the basis of a Swedish arrest warrant.

"There is a public 'Red Notice' on behalf of Sweden," a spokeswoman told AFP, confirming that INTERPOL had posted Sweden's request for assistance in tracking down the 39-year-old Australian on its website.

Sweden's International Public Prosecution Office in Gothenburg issued an arrest warrant for the secretive activist on November 18, citing "probable cause of suspected rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion."

Assange, whose current location is unclear, contested the warrant in a Swedish appeals court, but his first bid to get it thrown out was rejected last week and he has lodged a second appeal.

In the meantime, he could face arrest and extradition to Sweden from anywhere in the world where local authorities decide to act on the warrant.