Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm has been arrested in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Svartholm, known online by his nickname Anakata, was sentenced to one year in jail for his involvement in The Pirate Bay but has been missing for some time. Svartholm was wanted internationally but exact details as to why he was arrested have not yet been made public.

Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm was arrested by Cambodian police on Thursday in Phnom Penh, the city that he made his home several years ago.

According to local sources he was arrested in an apartment above the Cadillac Bar on the riverfront, a place where he is known to have stayed in the past.

Neither Cambodian nor Swedish authorities have commented on the grounds of the arrest.

The 27-year-old became wanted internationally after he failed to return to Sweden to serve his 12 month jail sentence earlier this year.

Gottfrid’s lawyer Ola Salomonsson thinks the arrest could be related to The Pirate Bay case, but this hasn’t been announced officially.

“As far as I understand it is because he is on an international wanted list,” he said.

While there is no extradition treaty between Cambodia and Sweden the lawyer believes his client could be transferred to his home country eventually.

Gottfrid has been battling poor health ever since The Pirate Bay appeal in 2010. He failed to attend that hearing due to an illness which left him too sick to leave hospital in Cambodia.

Then, despite having supported his original absence with a medical certificate, Gottfrid failed to appear at a subsequent hearing. This prompted the Court of Appeal to finalize the initial verdict of one year jail time and a fine of $1.1 million.

All this time the Pirate Bay founder was nowhere to be found. Neither his lawyer nor his old Pirate Bay friends had heard from him. Sources in Cambodia, however, told TorrentFreak last year that Gottfrid was still in bad shape.

Gottfrid should have returned to Sweden to begin serving his sentence January 2nd this year, but again he failed to appear.

Update: More information on the arrest and what might happen next.