A lawyer for whistleblower Julian Assange has confirmed that he has been arrested partly in relation to a request for extradition from the United States.

Writing on Twitter, Jen Robinson said Assange's arrest in London was "not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request."

Just confirmed: #Assange has been arrested not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request. @wikileaks@khrafnsson — Jen Robinson (@suigenerisjen) April 11, 2019

In a further tweet, Robinson said the US warrant "was issued in in December 2017 and is for conspiracy with Chelsea Manning" in early 2010.

From #Assange: The US warrant was issued in December 2017 and is for conspiracy with Chelsea Manning @xychelsea in early 2010. — Jen Robinson (@suigenerisjen) April 11, 2019

WikiLeaks' official Twitter account also tweeted that Assange has been arrested "for extradition to the United States for publishing."

BREAKING: Assange has been arrested for extradition to the United States for publishing.https://t.co/vvbZBOgCwL — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

Assange has been arrested in relation to a US extradition request for "conspiracy with Chelsea Manning" for publishing Iraq War Logs, Cablegate, Afghan War Logs, precisely the persecution for which he was granted asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention in 2012. @unhumanrightspic.twitter.com/i0TezO3SdK — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019

It was in 2010 that Assange released the classified US military footage known as 'Collateral Murder' of a US Apache helicopter gunship opening fire and killing 12 people, including two Reuters staff. The footage had been provided to WikiLeaks by US Army soldier Chelsea Manning, who was later tried by a US tribunal and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

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