Prosecutors in Sweden said on Friday that they would drop their rape investigation into Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who sought refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London five years ago.
The announcement represents a victory for Mr. Assange, 45, an Australian, who became a persistent problem for the Obama administration after he released classified and embarrassing documents from the United States and other countries. But the prosecutors’ decision does not mean that Mr. Assange is in the clear.
“While today was an important victory and important vidication, the road is far from over,” Mr. Assange told reporters from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
“The war, the proper war, is just commencing,” he said of his ongoing legal battle.
In Britain, he still faces a warrant for failing to appear in court, and the Metropolitan Police in London said on Friday that they would arrest Mr. Assange, who has maintained his innocence, if he were to try to leave the embassy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/world/europe/julian-assange-sweden-rape.html