British police on Thursday served an extradition notice on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has taken refuge in Ecuador’s embassy in London requesting aslyum. Scotland Yard said they had served a “surrender notice” on the 40-year-old Australian requiring him to attend a police station, adding that failure to do so would make him further liable to arrest. Assange faces extradition to Sweden over sex crime allegations, having exhausted his options under British law when the Supreme Court overturned his appeal against extradition earlier this month. Fearing Stockholm would pass him on to the United States, he sought refuge at Ecuador’s embassy in London on June 19, asking the South American country for political asylum. Scotland Yard has “served a surrender notice upon a 40-year-old man that requires him to attend a police station at date and time of our choosing,” a spokeskan said. “This is standard practice in extradition cases and is the first step in the removal process. “He remains in breach of his bail conditions. Failing to surrender would be a further breach of conditions and he is liable to arrest.” It is understood that officers from Scotland Yard’s extradition unit delivered a note to the embassy saying Assange has to present himself to a nearby police station at 11:30am (1030 GMT) Friday, the domestic Press Association news agency said.
