Published 15:53 IST, April 16th 2019
WATCH: Wikileaks tweets video of Julian Assange's cat watching his owner's arrest, organisation asserts 'they will be reunited in freedom'
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's seven years of tenure ended abruptly on Thursday following his arrest at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London. But what will happen to his cat?
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's seven years of tenure ended abruptly on Thursday following his arrest at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London. But what will happen to his cat? Where will she go? It is reported that the furry haired animal was Assange's only companion during his asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
Would the cat's asylum end, too? Or was it just beginning? Would someone adopt it, or would it also face extradition to the United States? Would it fall victim to a vast conspiracy? Did it know too much? -- are some of the questions raised by the social media followers following Julian's arrest.
Putting an end to all the worries, WikiLeaks tweeted footage of Assange's cat watching his owner being arrested.
The caption read: "We can confirm that Assange's cat is safe. Assange asked his lawyers to rescue him from embassy threats in mid-October. They will be reunited in freedom. #FreeAssange #NoExtradition".
Earlier, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's father on Sunday, April 14 called on Australia to bring his son home, saying he was shocked to see his son's condition after his arrest in London last week.
John Shipton -- who was secretary of the Wikileaks Party when his son tried to run for a senate seat in 2013 national elections -- reportedly visited Assange every Christmas at the Ecuadore embassy in London after he sought refuge there in 2012.
"DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the prime minister should in a nuanced way do something," Shipton said.
"It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia." Shipton said he was shocked to see the state of his son when he was arrested at the embassy on Thursday on allegations of skipping bail, and on a US extradition warrant related to a huge leak of official documents.
"I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers (police), he didn't look good. I'm 74 and I look better than him and he's 47. It's such a shock," he said.
The 47-year-old Australian had sought refuge in the embassy while on bail awaiting extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault and rape, which he always denied. British lawmakers on Saturday urged their government to prioritise any extradition bid Sweden might make for him over the allegations.
Swedish prosecutors dropped a preliminary investigation into the rape allegation in 2017.
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 15:53 IST, April 16th 2019