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Julian Assange announced today that he would be leaving the Ecuadorian embassy “soon” after two years at a cost of £7 million to the taxpayer.

The fugitive WikiLeaks founder held a rambling press conference where he claimed to be the victim of a human rights scandal but did not clarify when he would depart.

He sought asylum in the embassy in Knightsbridge to avoid extradition to Sweden, where there is a warrant against him over alleged sexual offences against two women.

Today he spoke about the effect on his health of being confined to a small room in the embassy with no outside space and no sunlight.

Assange said: “I can confirm that I am leaving the embassy soon but perhaps not for the reasons that the Murdoch press are saying” but he refused to elaborate.

The 43-year-old Australian is reported to be suffering from a severe Vitamin D deficiency as a result of the lack of exposure to sunlight and a chronic lung complaint because of a life without fresh air.

He is also said to have a potentially life-threatening heart condition arrhythmia.

His condition led to speculation that he was planning to leave the embassy this morning to seek hospital treatment for heart and lung problems.

Assange faces arrest on a European Arrest Warrant immediately he steps out of the embassy and Scotland Yard increased the number of police officers on duty in the street this morning.

He believes that if he is extradited to Sweden, he would then be sent on to the United States for questioning over the activities of the WikiLeaks whistle-blowing organisation.

Last week he lost a legal bid to have the arrest warrant against him cancelled. The decision by Judge Lena Egelin dashed hopes of a breakthrough in his case.

Appearing pale, a bearded Assange appeared alongside the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino in a press conference to talk about his next moves.

After saying he would “keep it brief”, he talked for 50 minutes.

The WikiLeaks founder criticised the Swedish and US governments for continuing to investigate him and said claims that two women in Sweden had accused him of rape were wrong.

He said: “How can it be that such a situation in Europe arises where a person is held and their freedom of movement restricted and they are kept from their family while a foreign government, the US, builds an ever larger case against that person and their organisation?

"Somehow the situation has developed here for me, but also some others, where basic rights that were previously universally accepted in Europe are no longer respected."

He took refuge in the embassy in June 2012 - a vigil costing at least £11,000 per day.

Mr Patino said: "There has been two years of great uncertainty and a lack of legal protection. This situation must come to an end. Two years is simply too long.

"It is time to free Julian Assange. It is time for his human rights to finally be respected."

Mr Patino appeared to suggest that Assange would be in the embassy for sometime longer, saying he hoped to meet Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in the next “few weeks” to discuss resolving the situation.

Assange’s supporters also made it clear he will remain inside the embassy and would continue to fight the extradition request.

Assange said he and his legal team had tried “all sorts of things” in an attempt to resolve the situation but to no avail.

He said he had offered to travel to Sweden on the condition that he would not be extradited to the US but his offer had been rebuffed.

Assange told journalists there has been "no movement at all" in the Swedish investigation and said the Ecuadorian government and his legal team were the only "reasonable" parties involved in the case.

Scotland Yard said Assange had not been in contact with them to discuss leaving the embassy and police were involved in a “wait and see” situation.

Following the 50 minute press conference Assange returned to the room where he has been working from for the past two years.

The Met said recently it had spent more than £7million in guarding the embassy.

WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said Assange’s departure was not imminent.

“The world is not coming to an end,” he told reporters inside the embassy. “The plan, as always, is to leave as soon as the UK Government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements.”

The European Arrest Warrant issued by the Swedish authorities lists four allegations of offences including two for sexual molestation and one for rape.

Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy after the High Court rejected his appeal against extradition to Sweden.