Britain will decide whether to send Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S. to face charges for publishing classified documents, or to Sweden over rape allegations.

Swedish authorities filed a warrant for his arrest earlier today, a move which could spark a tug-of-war between the two countries over his extradition.

Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said: 'In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority.

'The outcome of this process is impossible to predict. However, in my view the Swedish case can proceed concurrently with the proceedings in the UK.'

Assange is currently serving a 50-week sentence in the UK for skipping bail but if the warrant is granted it would launch proceedings to bring him to Sweden.

It comes as United States officials have been given the green light to 'help themselves' to the belongings of Julian Assange left behind in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his arrest last month.

Protesters have gathered outside the Ecuadorian Embassy, pictured, to oppose a new warrant for his arrest and the 'illegal seizure' of his property from the building by US officials

Swedish prosecutors have filed a warrant for Assange's (left and right last month) arrest which could spark a extradition process to take him to Scandinavia to face rape allegations

Assange is already facing potential extradition to the US but Swedish officials say they could prosecute him alongside this process. Pictured are protesters with posters

Today Assange's belongings, pictured, were removed from the embassy to aid U.S. prosecutors

Sweden reopened an investigation into the rape allegation, first made in 2010, earlier this month.

According to WikiLeaks, Ecuadorian officials are today travelling to London to allow US prosecutors to 'help themselves' to items including legal papers, medical records and electronic equipment.

Assange's supporters have since launched a protest outside the embassy against the 'illegal seizure'.

Supporters of Assange have today gathered outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London ahead of the handing over of his belongings to United States prosecutors.

WikiLeaks claimed its founder's possessions left from his time living inside the embassy, including legal papers and electronic equipment, were to be removed on Monday.

Protesters fixed banners to railings outside the embassy with images of Assange, his mouth covered by an American flag.

The small group held up posters with the messages 'Free Assange' and '#FreeSpeech'.

One woman shouted towards the building 'you are stealing Assange's belongings', while others chanted 'Thieves, thieves, thieves, shame on you'.

Carolina Graterol, 52, a Venezuelan journalist, said Assange's case set a 'very dangerous precedent to a free press and the right we have to know the truth'.

She claimed any seizure of his belongings was 'totally illegal' and 'a breach of his privacy'.

One woman shouted towards the building 'you are stealing Assange's belongings', while others chanted 'Thieves, thieves, thieves, shame on you' as his possessions were taken away (pictured)

US officials are believed to be going to the embassy today to collect legal papers, medical records and electronic equipment, which has sparked opposition from Assange supporters

Protesters have also been putting up banners on the fence around the embassy, pictured

Others have been holding up 'free speech' placards and have been claiming Assange is being persecuted by the US

'Obviously the US is looking for evidence to incriminate him in a future case,' she added.

Fidel Narvaez, 50, former consul at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, said the treatment of Assange was 'appalling' and 'shameful'.

Speaking outside the embassy where he worked between 2010 and 2018, Mr Narvaez said he considered Assange 'my friend' who was 'very respectful' and had a 'good relationship' with embassy staff.

He added: 'I feel ashamed of the way the Ecuadorian government is dealing with Julian's case, the way they evicted him, allowing foreign forces to go into the embassy and to drag a political refugee out by force.'

Mr Narvaez claimed ongoing 'cooperation' between Ecuador and the US had seen Ecuadorian diplomats interviewed by US prosecutors.

He said the handing over of Assange's possessions inside the embassy would be 'immoral' and 'not transparent'.

WikiLeaks said United Nations officials and Assange's lawyers were not being allowed to be present during the 'illegal seizure of property', which has been requested by the US authorities.

The material is said to include two of Assange's manuscripts.

The Wikileaks founder is pictured being dragged out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in handcuffs by police in April

A handcuffed Assange is pictured in a van with police officers as he makes his way to Westminster Magistrates Court in London ahead of his hearing in April

The WikiLeaks founder was arrested and dragged from the embassy by eight policemen to a waiting police van on April 10, as he ranted about Donald Trump and screamed 'the UK has no civility'.

The news of the 'illegal seizure' of Assange's personal property was reported by Wikileaks last night.

Wikileaks tweeted: 'Ecuador has been sequestering Assange's belongings since his arrest. Now we know why: To hand them over to the US in violation of international law.

'Ecuador's vile behaviour is not new as they have been sending information on Assange to the US for months.'

Assange is serving a 50-week prison sentence for bail violations, he faces an extradition request from the US next month.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor in chief of WikiLeaks said: 'On Monday Ecuador will perform a puppet show at the Embassy of Ecuador in London for their masters in Washington, just in time to expand their extradition case before the UK deadline on 14 June.

The court heard how Assange resisted arrest and tried to barge past officers in an attempt to return to his private room within the embassy when they introduced themselves at about 10am, telling them: 'This is unlawful'

A judge described Assange's defence that he could never expect a fair trial in the UK as 'laughable', calling his behaviour that of a 'narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests' as the court heard he tried to fight off arresting officers

'The Trump administration is inducing its allies to behave like it's the Wild West.'

Baltasar Garzon, international legal coordinator for the defence of Assange and WikiLeaks, said: 'It is extremely worrying that Ecuador has proceeded with the search and seizure of property, documents, information and other material belonging to the defence of Julian Assange, which Ecuador arbitrarily confiscated, so that these can be handed over to the the agent of political persecution against him, the United States.

'It is an unprecedented attack on the rights of the defence, freedom of expression and access to information exposing massive human rights abuses and corruption.

'We call on international protection institutions to intervene to put a stop to this persecution.'