US charges WikiLeaks founder with publishing classified info

By Eric Tucker The Associated Press

5 years ago

FILE - In this May 1, 2019, file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange puts his fist up as he ... — FILE – In this May 1, 2019, file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange puts his fist up as he is taken from court in London. The Justice Department has charged Assange with receiving and publishing classified information. The charges are contained in a new, 18-count indictment announced May 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE – In this May 1, 2019, file photo, protesters demonstrate outside court where Julian Assange will appear in London. The Justice Department has charged Assange with receiving and publishing classified information. The charges are contained in a new, 18-count indictment announced May 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE – In this May 16, 2019, file photo. former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning speaks with reporters, outside federal court in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with receiving and publishing classified information.

The charges are contained in an 18-count indictment announced Thursday.

The new charges go far beyond an initial indictment against Assange made public last month that accused him of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in a conspiracy to crack a Defense Department computer password.

The new indictment says Assange conspired with Manning to obtain and disclose classified national defense documents, including State Department cables and reports on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It says his actions “risked serious harm” to the United States.

The 47-year-old Assange is in custody in London after being evicted from the Ecuadorian Embassy in April. The U.S. is seeking his extradition.