British police arrest Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in Britain after an international warrant was issued for him last week, London's Metropolitan Police said.

Swedish prosecutors issued the arrest order for the Australian who is wanted on suspicion of committing sexual crimes, which he denies.

The latest warrant came as WikiLeaks continued to release more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, which has left world leaders scrambling to deal with the fallout.

Assange reportedly turned himself in to police at 9:30am (local time). He is expected to appear before the City of Westminster court later on Tuesday (London time).

"Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Extradition Unit have this morning, Tuesday 7 December, arrested Julian Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities on suspicion of rape," the police statement said.

"He is accused by the Swedish authorities of one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape, all alleged to have been committed in August 2010."

Police sources say Assange is unlikely to be granted bail because of the risk he will try to flee the country.

Assange has recently been staying in south-east England.

The 39-year-old is also the target of US politicians who are trying to find a way to indict him for his website's latest leaks.

Assange's lawyers have said he will fight extradition to Sweden, saying they fear he could then be passed on to the United States from the Scandanavian country.

He could now be embroiled in the extradition process for weeks, or even months.

One of his lawyers in England, Jennifer Robinson, says the Swedish prosecutor is ignoring his human rights.

"Now instead of even seeking a formal summons for his interrogation, she has gone direct for an arrest warrant," he said.

"So we absolutely think that it's disproportionate.

"Mr Assange still has not seen the full allegations against him or the potential charges he faces in a language which he understands, which is English, and this is in clear breach of his human rights under the European Convention of Human Rights."

Ms Robinson says he was "isolated and persecuted" and that death threats had been made on blogs against Assange's son.

"I think he will get a fair hearing here in Britain but I think our, his, prospects if he were ever to be returned to the US, which is a real threat, of a fair trial, is, in my view, nigh on impossible," she said.

The warrant for Assange's arrest was issued by Sweden's International Public Prosecution Office in Gothenburg on November 18.