Sweden Drops Assange Rape Investigation After Almost 10 Years

Julian Assange gestures to the media from a police vehicle on his arrival at Westminster Magistrates court on April 11, 2019 in London, England. After weeks of speculation Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by Scotland Yard Police Officers inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in Central London this morning. Ecuador's President, Lenin Moreno, withdrew Assange's Asylum after seven years citing repeated violations to international conventions. Jack Taylor/Getty Images

STOCKHOLM—A Swedish prosecutor has dropped a rape investigation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, ending the near-decade-old case that had sent the anti-secrecy campaigner into hiding in London’s Ecuadorian embassy to avoid extradition.

Although the prosecutor’s decision can be appealed, it probably closes the case, which was begun in 2010; the accuser’s lawyer said she was studying whether to appeal it.