alleging he is the source of many of WikiLeaks's high-profile releases; it has also opened a grand jury investigation with the purpose of deciding whether to prosecute WikiLeaks or its founder. That process is carried out in secret, without any rights of access for Assange or his lawyers. Many of the Australian's supporters fear the US will seek his extradition – from the UK, Sweden or elsewhere – with a view to prosecuting him for "conspiracy to commit espionage", based on a notional allegation that he may have "coached" Manning to leak documents to the site.

David Coombs, Manning's lawyer, said at a preliminary court martial hearing in December that he believed the US military was attempting to strongarm the young soldier into taking a plea bargain and incriminatingAssange, suggesting the WikiLeaks founder was regarded by the US as the bigger prize. Assange and WikiLeaks were represented at the hearing by Amy Jacobsen, a lawyer for the Centre for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based legal organisation focusing on civil rights, which has recently worked in support of Guantánamo detainees. She was denied access, despite the centre's argument that "the proceedings are clearly closely linked to a grand jury in Virginia reported to be issuing subpoenas for information on our clients".

Conspiracy

Michael Ratner, president emeritus of the CCR, told the Guardian he believed the grand jury was being used as a "fishing expedition" in the Assange case. The US department of justice never comments on grand jury investigations – indeed, their existence is known only if witnesses who