Sweden's chief prosecutor says she is reopening a preliminary investigation into rape charges against Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks.
Assange has denied the charges and said he expected a campaign to discredit him after Wikileaks released more than 70,000 secret U.S. military files on Afghanistan.
Two weeks ago, a lower official in Sweden withdrew possible charges against Assange. Chief prosecutor Marianne Ny said today in a statement that a further review suggests "there is reason to believe that a crime has been committed," Reuters reports.
Ny said a preliminary investigation into charges of molestation against Assange would be expanded to include sexual harassment.
(Posted by Doug Stanglin)
Doug is an unrepentant news junkie who loves breaking news and has been known to watch C-SPAN even on vacation. He has covered a wide range of domestic and international news stories, from prison riots in Oklahoma to the Moscow coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. Doug previously served as foreign editor at USA TODAY. More about Doug
Michael Winter has been a daily contributor to On Deadline since its debut in January 2006. His journalism career began in the prehistoric Ink Era, and he was an early adapter at the dawn of the Digital Age. His varied experience includes editing at the San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
