The official Twitter handle of WikiLeaks has said that a "state party" has intentionally cut out Julian Assange's internet link. The whistleblowing platform confirmed that it has activated necessary "contingency plans" most likely to ensure that any current and impending data published is not tampered with.

The tweet comes amid rampant rumours of Julian Assange's death, which were sparked on 16 October after three concurrent tweets containing cryptic codes were posted on the WikiLeaks account.

Julian Assange's internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans. October 17, 2016



The three posts contained 64-character codes that led to rumours about Assange's death, as users on Reditt and Twitter assumed that the codes were tweeted out after a "dead man's switch" was activated.

OMG ... I hope Julian Assange is okay. I am getting REALLY, REALLY worried. We only have ONE of him. Releasing death keys on @wikileaks. October 17, 2016

@wikileaks is this a deadman switch? — Jake Brymm (@bailpirate) October 16, 2016

@wikileaks ASSANGE PLZ CONFIRM THAT YOUR SAFE!!! EVERYONE WORRIED ! October 16, 2016

@wikileaks DEAD MAN'S SWITCH. IS ASSANGE DEAD? — Joy to the world! (@OmsToTheWorld) October 17, 2016

Is Julian Assange still alive?? "Dead mans switch" code shared. Did they get to him? October 16, 2016

Some users also suggested that WikiLeaks' recent data dump exposing Hillary Clinton and her campaign could have led to his untimely death. According to reports, such codes do exist. In June, WikiLeaks uploaded an 88GB worth "insurance file" meant to serve as a dead man's switch.

However, the recent three tweets may not be related to an activated dead man's switch. Further, WikiLeaks' most recent tweet also indicated that Assange is most likely alive, but cut-off from the internet and possibly unable to communicate online.

Apart from the cryptic codes, the three tweets posted earlier by WikiLeaks' also contained the words "pre-commitment". This indicates that the codes could be a reference to an auxiliary cryptographic scheme designed to ensure that any unreleased data is not tampered by external forces, Gizmodo reported.

pre-commitment 1: John Kerry 4bb96075acadc3d80b5ac872874c3037a386f4f595fe99e687439aabd0219809 — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 16, 2016

pre-commitment 2: Ecuador

eae5c9b064ed649ba468f0800abf8b56ae5cfe355b93b1ce90a1b92a48a9ab72 — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 16, 2016

pre-commitment 3: UK FCO f33a6de5c627e3270ed3e02f62cd0c857467a780cf6123d2172d80d02a072f74 — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 16, 2016

This strategy has been used previously to digitally sound an alarm in case of a breach. In May, Tor Project developer Andrea Shepard posted a tweet with a code as a warning shot, which may have led to the exposure of Jacob Applebaum's sexual misconduct. In August, Edward Snowden also tweeted out a seemingly similar code, now deleted, which led to widespread speculation about his death.

Meanwhile, the identity of the "state actors" WikiLeaks blamed for the internet outage is not known, nor is there any clarity on how Assange's internet link was "severed".

Amid growing uncertainty about Assange's wellbeing, reports revealed that Baywatch star Pamela Anderson had visited him over the weekend at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Anderson, who was spotted outside the Ecuadorian Embassy carrying Pret a Manger paper bags, said that Assange had jokingly claimed that she "tortured him with bringing him vegan food".

The former Playboy cover girl expressed concerns for Assange and his family after her recent meeting. "I really believe in him and think he's a good person, and I'm concerned about his health, his family, and I just hope that by some miracle he's set free," she said.