Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Is Julian Assange leaving the Ecuadorean embassy? 
 
 A UN panel will conclude Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is being "arbitrarily detained" in the UK, the Swedish foreign ministry has said. 
 
 Mr Assange, 44, claimed asylum in London's Ecuadorean embassy in 2012. He wants to avoid extradition to Sweden over a rape claim, which he denies. 
 
 The Met Police says Mr Assange will be arrested if he leaves the embassy. 
 
 Swedish prosecutors said the UN panel's decision would have "no formal impact" on its ongoing investigation. 
 
 Mr Assange earlier said his passport should be returned and his arrest warrant dropped if the UN panel, due to deliver its findings on Friday, ruled in his favour. 
 
 The Australian was originally arrested in London in 2010 under a European Arrest Warrant issued by Sweden over rape and sexual assault claims. 
 
 In 2012, while on bail, he claimed asylum inside the Ecuadorean embassy in Knightsbridge after the UK Supreme Court had ruled the extradition against him could go ahead. 
 
 Swedish prosecutors dropped two sex assault claims against Mr Assange last year. However, he still faces the more serious accusation of rape. 
 
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 'Avoiding lawful arrest' 
 
 In 2014, Mr Assange complained to the UN that he was being "arbitrarily detained" as he could not leave the embassy without being arrested. 
 
 The application claimed Mr Assange had been "deprived of his liberty in an arbitrary manner for an unacceptable length of time". 
 
 The UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has been investigating the issue. 
 
 The Press Association said key factors in the panel's decision would include the inability of Mr Assange to access political asylum, the fact he has never been charged, and changes to UK law and procedures since he arrived at the embassy. 
 
 Wikileaks earlier tweeted it was waiting for "official confirmation" of the UN panel's decision. 
 
 Downing Street said the panel's ruling would not be legally binding in the UK while a European Arrest Warrant remained in place. 
 
 "We have been consistently clear that Mr Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the UK but is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy," a spokesman said. 
 
 "The UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite Mr Assange to Sweden." 
 
 The Swedish foreign ministry said in a statement that it noted the UN panel's decision "differs from that of the Swedish authorities". 
 
 The statement added the legal process for Mr Assange's case would be handled in court by Swedish prosecutors. 
 
 Image caption Mr Assange issued his statement on Twitter 
 
 Per Samuelsson, Mr Assange's lawyer, said Swedish authorities would be "morally" wrong to continue the investigation if the UN panel found in his favour. 
 
 "The ball is in Sweden's yard, in the prosecutor's yard. She is not formally bound by the decision by the UN, but morally it is very difficult to go against it." 
 
 The journalist John Pilger, who is a friend of Mr Assange, said "the ball is now at the feet of the British government", whose international legal "obligations" were represented by the UN panel. 
 
 "They did something in terms of supporting the tribunal in all the other celebrated cases, and Assange now joins them because the UN jurists have clearly found this is a case of arbitrary detention," he said. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Assange's supporter and friend Vaughan Smith hopes he will now be freed 
 
 Mr Assange's Wikileaks organisation posted secret American government documents on the internet, and he says Washington could seek his extradition to the US to face espionage charges if he is sent to Sweden. 
 
 In the statement, published earlier by Wikileaks on Twitter, Mr Assange said: "Should the UN announce tomorrow that I have lost my case against the United Kingdom and Sweden I shall exit the embassy at noon on Friday to accept arrest by British police as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal. 
 
 "However, should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me." 
 
 Last October, Scotland Yard said it would no longer station officers outside the Ecuador embassy following an operation which it said had cost £12.6m. But it said "a number of overt and covert tactics to arrest him" would still be deployed. 
 
 Julian Assange: Key dates ||||| A United Nations panel has decided that Julian Assange’s three-and-a-half years in the Ecuadorian embassy amount to “arbitrary detention”, leading his lawyers to call for the Swedish extradition request to be dropped immediately. 
 
 A Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman confirmed that the UN panel, due to publish its findings on Friday, had concluded that Assange was “arbitrarily detained”. 
 
 The WikiLeaks founder sought asylum from Ecuador in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations, which he denies. 
 
 The panel’s findings were disclosed to the Swedish and British governments on 22 January, and will be published on Friday morning. Their judgment is not legally binding but can be used to apply pressure on states in human rights cases. 
 
 Julian Assange's embassy showdown: what it means and what happens next Read more 
 
 Anna Ekberg, spokesperson for the Swedish foreign ministry, said: “The UN working group on arbitrary detention has concluded that Mr Assange is arbitrarily detained. The working group’s view differs from that of the Swedish authorities. We will forward a reply to the working group tomorrow. It will be more clear tomorrow why we reject the working group’s conclusions.” 
 
 Assange’s Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelson, said earlier that if the working group found in his favour, “there is only one solution for Marianne Ny [the Swedish prosecutor seeking Assange’s extradition], and that is to immediately release him and drop the case”. Samuelson added: “If he is regarded as detained, that means he has served his time, so I see no other option for Sweden but to close the case.” 
 
 
 
 Assange’s lawyers demanded assurances from the UK that he would not be arrested and subjected to extradition proceedings to face potential prosecution over WikiLeaks’ publishing activities. 
 
 The British Foreign Office said it would not pre-empt the panel’s findings, but said in a statement: “We have been consistently clear that Mr Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the UK but is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorian embassy. 
 
 “An allegation of rape is still outstanding and a European arrest warrant in place, so the UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite Mr Assange to Sweden.” 
 
 In a statement issued by WikiLeaks on Twitter, Assange said that if the UN panel rejected his claim, he would voluntarily walk out of the embassy on Friday and accept arrest “as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal”. 
 
 He added: “However, should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me.” 
 
 Neither Sweden nor the UK will be compelled to take any action, but a source familiar with the working group said that if the governments choose to ignore the decision, it could make it difficult for them in future to bring pressure on other countries over human rights violations. 
 
 Assange’s lawyers had appealed to the UN panel claiming that his stay in the embassy was arbitrary because he had been unable to exercise his right to asylum, arguing: “The only way for Mr Assange to enjoy is right to asylum is to be in detention. This is not a legally acceptable choice.” 
 
 They also argued that UK law had changed since 2012, which meant that if arrested today he would no longer be liable to extradition under the European arrest warrant. 
 
 Melinda Taylor, an Assange legal spokeswoman, said the Australian had not yet been formally informed by the panel of its findings, but “if it finds that the standard for arbitrary detention is met, we would expect his release and compensation”. 
 
 In addition to Sweden dropping the extradition request, she called for the UK to return Assange’s passport and give him assurances that he would not be subject to arrest for a potential further extradition request by the US. 
 
 Assange and WikiLeaks have been the subject of a secret grand jury investigation in Virginia that has been looking into whether to prosecute them over the US cable disclosures, and the Australian fears that he could become immediately subject to a second extradition process even if Sweden drops its inquiry. 
 
 “If one of the orders is that he should be released and his liberty should be assured, we would obviously look to the UK to make sure that it is effective and not illusory, that it’s not just liberty for five seconds, but liberty that is meaningful,” Taylor said. 
 
 British police ended the costly 24-hour guard of the Knightsbridge embassy last October, but the building remains under covert surveillance. A Metropolitan police spokesman said on Thursday: “The operation to arrest Julian Assange does continue and should he leave the embassy the MPS will make every effort to arrest him.” 
 
 Sweden and Ecuador have been locked in lengthy negotiations over arrangements to allow Swedish prosecutors to interview Assange in the embassy. Ecuador’s foreign minister said last month that the country would allow access for questioning, but Sweden later said its request had been rejected “on formal grounds”. It is considering whether to submit a fresh request. 
 
 Samuelson said his client still hoped to clear his name. “This does not mean that the question of interrogation will be over. We still want an interrogation to take place so that Mr Assange can clear his name and show everyone that he is innocent. 
 
 “The difference is that he will no longer be in custody in absentia and thus be able to use his asylum outside of the embassy. If Assange is regarded as detained he has already served the time so to speak so Marianne Ny should drop the case altogether.” 
 
 Last August Sweden dropped part of its investigation into Assange after the statute of limitations on allegations of sexual assault expired. It is still seeking to interview him on one outstanding allegation of rape. The accusations were made by two women in Sweden in 2010, but no charges have been brought. 
 
 Timeline: Julian Assange and Sweden's prosecutors Read more 
 
 At the Ecuadorian embassy, the WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said that if Assange’s claim through the UN was successful he planned to appear by videolink at a press conference in west London on Friday. “If he loses, as he says, he’ll just walk out of there,” Hrafnsson told the Guardian, as he left the embassy building after around three hours of discussions with Assange. 
 
 “The process has been going on for 18 months, the UK government has made submissions to the working group so it has accepted its authority,” Hrafnsson said. “What signal does it send that the UK and Sweden would ignore this UN body? It would completely destroy its authority. Are they willing to set that precedent? Egypt has not accepted its findings with regard to the detention of its former president [Mohammed Morsi] - is that the standard the UK wants to hold?” 
 
 Assange’s health is fragile from the effects of living inside for more than three years but Hrafnsson said he was busily preparing for Friday. “However the decision goes, it is an extremely important moment for him. Hopefully it’s the end of the road.” ||||| A photographer stands outside of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Friday May 19, 2017. Sweden's top prosecutor says she is dropping an investigation into a rape claim against WikiLeaks founder Julian... (Associated Press) 
 
 STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden's top prosecutor said Friday she is dropping an investigation into a rape claim against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after almost seven years. 
 
 The announcement means the outspoken WikiLeaks leader no longer faces sex crime allegations in Sweden, although British police say he is still wanted in Britain for jumping bail in 2012. 
 
 Assange is still inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London where he has lived for nearly five years. Assange has indicated concerns that he may face indictment in the United States for his role at the helm of the WikiLeaks. 
 
 "This is a total victory for Julian Assange. He is now free to leave the embassy when he wants. We have won the Assange case. He is of course happy and relieved. He has been critical that it has lasted that long," Per E Samuelsson, his lawyer in Sweden, told Swedish Radio. 
 
 Samuelsson was not immediately available for further comment. 
 
 The Swedish Prosecution Authority said Friday that chief Marianne Ny "has decided to discontinue the investigation." Ny said she will call back the European arrest warrant on Assange. 
 
 Friday was the deadline for the Swedish prosecution to send a request to Stockholm District Court in the Assange case. 
 
 Assange, 45, took refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London in 2012 to escape extradition to Sweden to answer questions about sex-crime allegations from two women. He has been there ever since, fearing that if he is in custody he might ultimately be extradited to the United States. 
 
 It is not known if U.S. officials are seeking Assange's arrest because of a possible sealed indictment. 
 
 Last month, President Donald Trump said he would support any decision by the Justice Department to charge Assange. 
 
 WikiLeaks tweeted after the Swedish announcement: "UK refuses to confirm or deny whether it has already received a US extradition warrant for Julian Assange. Focus now moves to UK." 
 
 Samuelsson, the lawyer in Sweden, told Swedish Radio he had been in touch with Assange via text message and the Australian had written, "Serious, Oh My God." 
 
 British police said despite Sweden's decision to drop a rape investigation, Assange still faces arrest if he leaves Ecuador's embassy in London. 
 
 The Metropolitan Police says there is a British warrant for Assange's arrest after he jumped bail in 2012, and the force "is obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the embassy." 
 
 But it adds that Assange is now wanted for a "much less serious offense" than the original sex crimes claims, and police "will provide a level of resourcing which is proportionate to that offense." 
 
 Police kept up round-the-clock guard outside the embassy until December 2015, when the operation was scaled back, in part because of the cost, which had exceeded 11 million pounds (over $17.5 million at the time). 
 
 ___ 
 
 Katz reported from London. Jill Lawless in London and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this story. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption The focus will now be on whether Mr Assange can leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London 
 
 Sweden has decided to drop the rape investigation into Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. 
 
 Top prosecutor Marianne Ny said his arrest warrant was being revoked as it was impossible to serve him notice. 
 
 Mr Assange, 45, has lived in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since 2012. He fears extradition to Sweden would lead to extradition to the US where he is wanted over leaks. 
 
 Ecuador has called on the UK to allow him safe passage out of the country. 
 
 However, police in London said they would still be obliged to arrest him if he left. 
 
 The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said Mr Assange still faced the lesser charge of failing to surrender to a court, an offence punishable by up to a year in prison or a fine. 
 
 But the UK has not commented on whether it has received an extradition request from the US, where Mr Assange could face trial over the leaking of hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents. 
 
 Mr Assange's Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelson, said the prosecutor's decision on Friday represented "a total victory" for his client. 
 
 But the Wikileaks founder responded angrily in a tweet: "Detained for 7 years without charge... while my children grew up and my name was slandered. I do not forgive or forget." 
 
 The plaintiff in the rape case was "shocked" by the decision, her lawyer said, and maintained her accusations against Mr Assange, Agence France-Presse reported. 
 
 The decision coincided with the release by Wikileaks of another tranche of documents about the CIA's technical capabilities. 
 
 Why has the case been dropped? 
 
 At a press briefing on Friday, Ms Ny said that by remaining in the embassy in London Mr Assange had evaded the exercise of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) that would have seen him extradited to Sweden. 
 
 She said that under Swedish law a criminal investigation needed to be conducted "as quickly as possible". 
 
 Sweden did not expect Ecuador's co-operation in formally notifying Mr Assange of the allegations against him, a necessary step in proceeding with the case, she added. 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Marianne Ny said the case could resume if Mr Assange visited Sweden before August 2020 
 
 But she said: "If he were to return to Sweden before the statute of limitation on this case expires in August 2020, the preliminary investigation could be resumed." 
 
 She said it was "regrettable we have not been able to carry out the investigation", and added: "We are not making any pronouncement about guilt." 
 
 What does Ecuador say? 
 
 A source at the Ecuadorean foreign ministry told the Press Association that Ecuador had "fully co-operated with the Swedish justice system". 
 
 The source criticised the Swedish prosecutor for "unnecessary delays" in the case but welcomed the latest decision. 
 
 The source added: "Ecuador will now be intensifying its diplomatic efforts with the UK so that Julian Assange can gain safe passage in order to enjoy his asylum in Ecuador." 
 
 How did Mr Assange end up where he is? 
 
 The rape allegation followed a Wikileaks conference in Stockholm in 2010. Mr Assange always denied the allegations against him, saying sex was consensual. 
 
 He also said the case was politically motivated, as it followed massive Wikileaks dumps of secret US military reports that year. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Assange speaks to the BBC's John Simpson in 2014 
 
 Later that year he was arrested in London after Sweden issued an international arrest warrant against him. 
 
 Then, in June 2012, after exhausting legal avenues to prevent his extradition, Mr Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy, where he remains to this day. 
 
 What will happen to Mr Assange now? 
 
 After the news was announced on Friday, Wikileaks tweeted that the "focus now moves to the UK", but Mr Assange's fate still seems unclear. 
 
 The MPS issued a statement saying that its actions had been based on a response to a "European Arrest Warrant for an extremely serious offence". 
 
 It went on: "Now that the situation has changed and the Swedish authorities have discontinued their investigation into that matter, Mr Assange remains wanted for a much less serious offence. The MPS will provide a level of resourcing which is proportionate to that offence." 
 
 The MPS said it would "not comment further on the operational plan". 
 
 Last month, Mr Samuelson filed a new motion calling for his client's arrest warrant to be lifted. 
 
 He cited a comment by new US Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the arrest of Mr Assange would be "a priority". 
 
 Mr Samuelson told Agence France-Presse: "This implies that we can now demonstrate that the US has a will to take action... this is why we ask for the arrest warrant to be cancelled."
– For Julian Assange, there's good news and bad news. The good is that a UN panel has ruled in his favor and found that Britain is essentially keeping him in arbitrary detention, reports the BBC. The bad is that London doesn't care and vows to arrest him if he tries to leave the Ecuadorean embassy, reports Reuters. The developments come after Assange appealed to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to look into his case. The official ruling is to be made public on Friday, but both the BBC and the Guardian say the panel has sided with Assange. The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in the embassy for more than three years, hoping to avoid being extradited to Sweden to face sex-crimes charges. In an earlier tweet, Assange said he would turn himself in to police if the panel ruled against him, reports the AP. "However, should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me," he wrote. That appears unlikely: A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday that the ruling isn't legally binding and that Assange—who also fears extradition to the US over the leaking of military secrets—would be immediately arrested if he tries to leave. WikiLeaks, meanwhile, says it is awaiting confirmation of the news reports about the ruling.