After his arrest on Thursday, Assange appeared at a packed hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London where he was found guilty of breaching his bail conditions by failing to surrender to police in 2012 when he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault case.

He faces a jail term of up to 12 months when he is sentenced at crown court. District Judge Michael Snow was scathing about Assange, who had earlier pleaded not guilty, and refused to give evidence over what his lawyer claimed was “bias” of a previous judge in the case.

"His assertion he has not had a fair hearing is laughable and I'm afraid it’s the behavior of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests," Snow said.

"He hasn't got close to establishing in this case that he had a reasonable excuse," the judge added. "His behavior through his counsel is shameful. I have no hesitation at all in finding Mr. Assange guilty."

He will be held in custody while he awaits sentencing.

Assange, wearing all black and with his hair tied in a bun, had been led into the dock carrying a copy of Gore Vidal’s History of the National Security State — the same book he was clutching when being dragged from the embassy earlier in the day.

For several minutes before the hearing, Assange read the book, holding it up so members of the packed public gallery could see. At one point, he noticed a supporter in the gallery wearing a yellow vest with a Julian Assange badge. Assange silently saluted the supporter, while the supporter held up his fist.

During the hearing, which lasted just over half an hour, a lawyer for the US government revealed that the extradition request for Assange, along with the arrest warrant, had been made on Dec. 22, 2017, during the first year of the Donald Trump administration.

Describing Assange’s dramatic arrest, the lawyer said that Metropolitan officers arrived at the building in west London after 9 a.m. to meet the ambassador who was set to serve Assange the documentation revoking his asylum.

The officers tried to detain Assange, but he "barged past them," the lawyer said. In the ensuing struggle, Assange yelled "This is unlawful" while additional officers were required to help handcuff him.

During the hearing, the district judge advised Assange that while he could not consent to his extradition today, “you could consent to your extradition to America in the future once the domestic matters are resolved.”

The prospect of Assange consenting to being extradited to the US prompted laughter in the public gallery, after which he flashed two thumbs up and winked at those gathered in the gallery.

After the hearing, Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said the extradition request set a “dangerous precedent” as it meant journalists could be extradited for “having published truthful information about the United States.”

She said Assange would be contesting and fighting extradition, adding: “We’ve requested he now gets medical treatment. He’s been refused medical treatment for the past seven years since being inside the embassy.”

Sweden's investigation into the final sexual assault complaint against Assange was dropped in 2017 after prosecutors concluded that “all prospects of pursuing the investigation under present circumstances [were] exhausted.” However, they said it could resume if Assange made himself "available" to the Swedish courts.

After Assange's arrest, the Swedish Prosecution Authority released a statement that said the preliminary investigation into Assange's case could be reopened until August 2020.