A federal prosecutor in the eastern district of Virginia revealed that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has a sealed indictment in the district after his name was accidently included in an unrelated terrorism and child pornography case on Thursday.
The inclusion of the information about Assange appears to be a mistake; the document, aside from two small references, has nothing to do with Assange. It is widely believed that a copy/paste failure was behind the blunder, as prosecutors frequently recycle motions to use as templates for new ones.
“Another procedure short of sealing will not adequately protect the needs of law enforcement at this time because, due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged,” one excerpt says.
“The complaint, supporting affidavit and arrest warrant, as well as this motion and the proposed order, would need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested in connection with the charges in the criminal complaint and can therefore no longer evade or avoid arrest and extradition in this matter,” prosecutors said in the August 22 filing, which wasn't unsealed until November 8.
The Department of Justice investigation into Julian Assange dates back to 2010, when WikiLeaks was publishing video evidence of the extrajudicial killings of Iraqi citizens and two…
