JULIAN Assange warned "the war is just commencing" as he appeared for the first time since being told rape allegations against him are being dropped.

The 45-year-old Wikileaks founder has been holed up inside London's Ecuadorian embassy since 2012 in an attempt to avoid the probe - at a cost of £15million to the British taxpayer.

17 Julian Assange raised seven fingers in reference to the number of years the allegations have hovered over him Credit: Reuters

17 Assange hailed today's decision as an "important victory" Credit: London News Pictures

17 Veterans For Peace UK and Friends of WikiLeaks protest to Free Julian Assange Now Credit: Alamy

17 Assange raised his fist as he addressed the waiting media on the balcony of the embassy in West London Credit: AP:Associated Press

And Assange later appeared on the balcony of his West London bolthole where, raising his fist, he told waiting media: "Today is an important victory."

And in a tweet posted this afternoon, he added: "Detained for 7 years without charge by while my children grew up and my name was slandered. I do not forgive or forget."

The Aussie had earlier posted a smiling picture of himself just moments after receiving the news about the charges.

Detained for 7 years without charge by while my children grew up and my name was slandered. I do not forgive or forget. — Defend Assange Campaign (@DefendAssange) May 19, 2017

The Aussie has refused to quit the embassy despite the probe being dropped, raising the spectre of the £15million bill to police the area around the bolthole growing even further.

If he does leave the embassy, one top extradition lawyer said the US will have a short "window of opportunity" to nab Assange if the Met chooses to arrest him for skipping bail and fleeing to the embassy five years ago.

Julian Knowles told The Sun: "The CPS could say: 'We’ll get him on Bail Act offence and he’ll likely get a couple of days in prison at most.'

"That would then give the US a short window of opportunity to file a provisional extradition request.

"But the UK cannot just hold him."

Presuming a request was filed by Donald Trump's government, Britain would then need to decide whether to accept it.

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City University political academic Professor Inderjeet Parmar believes the UK would be likely to accept that request.

He said: "Relations between UK and US are extremely close so there’s a pretty strong chance he would be extradited.

"I’d say there is a 100 per cent chance he will be arrested – and the chance he will be extradited is around 80 per cent."

Swedish authorities also say the case could be reactivated if Assange leaves the embassy.

A spokesman for the Met Police said: “Mr Assange remains wanted for a much less serious offence. The MPS will provide a level of resourcing proportionate to that offence.”

Assange appeared to offer an olive branch to the UK when he said he hopes for "dialogue" over his future.

But Prime Minister Theresa May is keeping her cards close to her chest.

She refused to say whether her government would grant the US an extradition and simply said: "We look at requests on a case-by-case basis."

17 Assange posted this picture as news emerged that Swedish authorities are dropping an investigation into rape allegations made against him

17 Assange has been holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy for five years Credit: AP:Associated Press

17 The Met Police warned Assange he will still be arrested if he leaves the West London embassy Credit: Getty Images

17 Assange supporters outside the Ecuadorian Embassy Credit: Getty Images

Assange's lawyer quickly hailed the move as a "total victory".

Per Samuelson added: "The preliminary investigation has been dropped and the detention order has been withdrawn, and from Sweden's point of view this is now over."

But the Met Police were quick to warn Assange - who had always denied the rape allegations - he will still be arrested.

A statement from Scotland Yard said: "Westminster Magistrates' Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Julian Assange following him failing to surrender to the court on the 29 June 2012.

"The Metropolitan Police Service is obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the Embassy."

UK refuses to confirm or deny whether it has already received a US extradition warrant for Julian Assange. Focus now moves to UK. — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) May 19, 2017

Wikileaks responded by demanding to know whether the UK plans to extradite Assange to the US.

It tweeted: "UK refuses to confirm or deny whether it has already received a US extradition warrant for Julian Assange. Focus now moves to UK."

Shortly after the announcement was made Assange posted a picture - believed to have been taken several years ago - of himself smiling on Twitter.

Swedish Authorities this morning said: "Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny has today decided to discontinue the preliminary investigation regarding suspected rape concerning Julian Assange."

17 Photographers began to gather outside the embassy this morning shortly after the news broke Credit: PA:Press Association

17 Ecuadorean ambassador to the UK Carlos Antonio Abad Ortiz was pictured scurrying into the embassy not long after Credit: Getty Images

17 The operation to guard the embassy is thought to have cost the British taxpayer tens of millions of pounds Credit: Getty Images

17 Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny announced the probe into Assange would be dropped today Credit: EPA

A later statement said the case had been discontinued because there was "no reason to believe that the decision to surrender him to Sweden can be executed in the foreseeable future."

One of Assange's legal team later suggested he may seek political asylum in France.

Referring to new French President Emmanuel Macron, Juan Branco tweeted: "Mr. Macron now has a political responsibility: to intervene to put an end to the arbitrary detention of Julian Assange."

Founder of whistle-blowing site Wikileaks, Assange had been sought by authorities for seven years over rape allegations in the Scandinavian country.

For the last five of those he has been in self-iposed exile at the London embassy.

The police operation to guard the building had cost the British taxpayer an estimated £11MILLION by July 2015 with that number thought to have almost doubled since.

During his time in the embassy the Aussie developed a close friendship with former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson.

She retweeted the picture Assange posted this morning.

A throng of photographers and supporters had already begun to gather outside the Kensington consulate soon after the news was announced.

17 Assange has been inside the embassy since 2012 - often making appearance from a balcony Credit: Getty Images

17 Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Assange have developed a close friendship in recent months Credit: Getty Images

17 Pammy regularly visited Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy Credit: Getty Images

Assange was in Sweden in August 2010 to speak at a conference when he met two women and had sex with them.

They later accused him of rape and molestation and Assange was questioned but never charged over the claims.

On November 20 after he had left the country, Interpol issued a Red Notice for Assange’s arrest.

He gave himself up a week later and appeared before a judge in Westminster before being released on bail after his supporters paid £240,000 in cash and sureties.

Legal arguments continued until June 2012, when Swedish prosecutors called for him to be extradited – something his lawyers were against in case he was sent to the US.

On June 19, 2012, he fled bail and applied for asylum in Ecuador, through the embassy in Knightsbridge.

17 Chelsea Manning yesterday released her first pictures since being released from a US jail. The former soldier had provided Assange with sensitive information about the US military Credit: Instagram

17 Chelsea had provided the information to Assange before she underwent a sex change Credit: EPA

He was granted asylum in August that year but if he sets foot outside the building, Britain has said it would deport him to Sweden.

Assange is also wanted for the leak of information about the US military - which was handed to him by former soldier Bradley Manning.

Manning - who was yesterday pictured for the first time since being released from jail - has since undergone a sex change and changed her name to Chelsea.

One of the leaks was a video called Collateral Murder, which showed unarmed Iraqis being gunned down by American helicopters.

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