Key Witness In Case Against WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Says He Lied In Indictment To Get Immunity
June 29 2021, Published 12:08 p.m. ET
A key witness in the United States Department of Justice case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has just admitted to fabricating major accusations in order to receive immunity from prosecution.
According to Icelandic newspaper Stundin, witness Sigurdur "Siggi" Ingi Thordarson initially claimed he was a prominent WikiLeaks representative directed by Assange to "commit computer intrusions," carry out hacking attacks and steal audio recordings of phone conversations between Icelandic officials.
But in reality, Thordarson was only loosely involved with the international whistleblowing platform that was established in order to obtain and publish classified documents and data sets from anonymous sources.
Stundin reports that "all indications are that Thordarson was acting alone without any authorization, let alone urging, from anyone inside WikiLeaks."
In addition to his admission, Thordarson also gave the news outlet never-before-published chat logs and documents pertaining to his time as a WikiLeaks volunteer.
Thordarson has been convicted several times in the past for financial fraud and sexual abuse of minors, and also has a documented history of sociopathy. In the interview, he said he continued his crime spree while working with the DOJ and the FBI to indict Assange in the United Kingdom.
The U.S. has been asking for Assange to be extradited from the U.K in order to try him for violations of the Espionage Act related to the publication of classified documents exposing American war crimes.
As of now, Assange faces up to 175 years in prison; however, Thordarson's bombshell revelation could have a major impact