London cops end 24/7 watch of Julian Assange hideout, though he’ll likely stay put

By Trevor Mogg Published October 13, 2015

london cops end 247 watch of julian assange hideout — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Having already spent an estimated £12 million ($18.4 million) on a 24/7 monitoring operation outside London’s Ecuadorean Embassy where Julian Assange has been holed up since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, London police said Monday it can no longer justify committing resources to the round-the-clock operation and has therefore removed the officers.

That’s right, if Assange peers out from behind the curtain of his small room inside the embassy today, he’ll notice that the cops who for the last three years have been waiting outside to arrest him are no longer there.

Recommended Videos

The embassy offers him legal protection against extradition to Sweden where prosecutors are keen to interview him regarding sexual assault allegations.

The WikiLeaks founder has always protested his innocence, and believes extradition to Sweden would ultimately lead to extradition to the U.S. where he could face charges in connection with the publication of classified government documents. Assange believes that if that happens, the chances of a fair hearing would be slim.

Watching and waiting….and waiting

Diplomatic protocol keeps the U.K. authorities from entering the embassy to arrest Assange, so cops have been keeping constant watch outside, ready to nab him if he tries to leave.

Despite ending the police presence, London’s Metropolitan Police (MPS) made it clear this week that it still intends to apprehend the 44-year-old Australian should he step outside the embassy at any point.

“The operation to arrest Julian Assange does however continue and should he leave the embassy the MPS will make every effort to arrest him,” the police confirmed.

With cops no longer positioned outside the embassy, Assange may be tempted to make a run for it, possibly via one of several elaborate plans revealed in secret papers leaked last month. These include Ecuador securing Assange diplomatic immunity by making him the country’s representative to the UN; leaving the building disguised in a costume of some sort; or escaping “across the rooftops towards a nearby helipad.” It was also suggested he could “get lost among the people in Harrods,” which is located just across the street.

However, Assange will have noted that the authorities are still very keen to take him into custody, with the MPS saying it’s now deploying “a number of overt and covert tactics” in a bid to achieve its goal.

With that in mind, and with no sign of an imminent diplomatic or legal resolution to the affair, it seems Assange could remain cooped up inside the Ecuadorean Embassy for some time to come.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Computing

How to change margins in Google Docs

Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Computing

What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app

A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Computing

Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs

A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.