WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been granted bail by a London court as he fights extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sex-crimes investigation, the Associated Press, the BBC and other news outlets are reporting.
According to the AP, the judge:
"Said Tuesday that Assange must abide by strict bail conditions as he fights extradition to Sweden in a sex-crimes investigation."
The BBC says bail was set at 200,000 British pounds -- about $317,000. A number of Assange's wealthy friends appeared in court today to pledge the funds.
As we said earlier, this court proceeding wasn't connected to WikiLeaks recent disclosure of secret U.S. diplomatic cables -- though Assange says he's being wrongly prosecuted because of those leaks.
Update at 12:10 p.m. ET. Assange isn't free just yet, however. The AP now reports that:
"The WikiLeaks founder remained in custody pending a possible appeal by Sweden. Swedish authorities had two hours to lodge an appeal against the bail decision and their lawyer, Gemma Lindfield, said it was likely she would. An appeal would have to be heard by Britain's High Court within 48 hours."
Update at 10:40 a.m. ET. The Guardiansays "Assange's bail conditions include surrendering his passport, a curfew, and an electronic tag."
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