Swedes grill WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over rape claims

Swedish prosecutors were questioning Julian Assange inside Ecuador’s ­embassy about rape allegations.

Swedish chief prosecutor Ingrid Isgren arrives at the embassy of Ecuador to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Julian Assange was last night being questioned by Swedish prosecutors inside Ecuador’s ­embassy, six years after rape allegations were levelled against him.

Sweden’s deputy chief prosecutor, Ingrid Isgren, arrived to conduct the interview with the WikiLeaks founder at the embassy shortly after 9.30am (8.30pm AEDT) on a grey drizzly day and had to battle her way through a throng of media to the doors of the embassy.

Prosecutors plan to ask the 45-year-old Australian to consent to providing a DNA sample.

An Ecuadorian prosecutor was to conduct the interview alongside Ms Isgren and Swedish police inspector Cecilia Redell. The ­Swedes can ask for clarifications, but they were to be largely limited to the questions they had already submitted in writing.

The Ecuadorian prosecutor will formulate a report based on the interview that will be given to the Swedes.

Sweden finally acquiesced to interview Mr Assange inside the embassy after earlier claiming such a process would lower the quality of the interview.

He has argued for years that Sweden could question him inside the embassy, which is next to Harrods in central London, over claims he engaged in non-consensual sex with two women, Miss A and Miss W, in August 2010 by refusing to wear a condom.

Mr Assange has feared leaving the diplomatic protection of the embassy, because he believes if he returned to Sweden, he would be extradited to the US to face ­charges over WikiLeaks’ release of US diplomatic cables.

Supporters of Mr Assange have called on US president-elect Donald Trump to excuse the Australian of any crimes. During the election campaign, Mr Trump ­declared to love WikiLeaks for its release of Democratic Party emails that raised issues for the Clinton campaign.

Last night’s interview — after Mr ­Assange has been holed up ­inside the embassy walls for four years — could result in charges being laid or the Swedish authorities dropping the investigation.

Mr Assange has denied all of the allegations and has not been charged. Some of the allegations relating to Miss A have expired under the statute of limitations, while Miss W’s claims do not ­expire until 2020.

Assange supporters outside the embassy last night while the Swedish questioning took place were outnumbered by the swollen mob of photographers and ­reporters.

Human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger told Sky News that Mr Assange’s fears he might be sent to the US were based on real concerns.