Edward Fitzgerald, the lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has made explosive allegations that there was a deep state plot to murder his client and make it look like an accident.
The allegations were made during an extradition hearing on Tuesday. Fitzgerald claims that U.S. spies planned to work with Spanish private detectives, who conducted an “intrusive and sophisticated” surveillance operation on Assange before the actions were revealed by an Iberian whistleblower whose identity is currently unknown.
The spying operation reportedly began after David Morales of the Spanish firm UC Global returned from a Las Vegas security trade fair in July 2016 with a contract for a yacht supposedly belonging to casino magnate and GOP financier Sheldon Adelson, who is now President Trump’s largest monetary backer.
“But in fact, Mr Morales had indeed made a side agreement to provide information gathered about Mr Assange to the dark side – in other words, US intelligence agencies,” Fitzgerald alleged.
Spying devices were allegedly planted inside and outside the Ecuadorean embassy in Britain to peer in on Assange’s every move while he was essentially under house arrest in the facility.
“There were conversations about whether there should be more extreme measures contemplated, such as kidnapping or poisoning Julian Assange in the embassy,” Fitzgerald said, referring to evidence supposedly coming from the mysterious Iberian.
“David [Morales] said the Americans were desperate and had even suggested more extreme measures could be applied against the guest to put an end to the situation,” he added.
These claims have come on the first day of the extradition hearing, as the Assange team hopes to avoid having their client sent back to the US where he faces 17 felony counts under the Espionage Act.
Fitzgerald believes that deporting Assange to the US would be the “height of inhumanity” as he would be subject to inhumane conditions and be at risk for suicide. It is unclear if Fitzgerald meant Assange would kill himself, or die under mysterious circumstances ala Jeffrey Epstein and have it ruled a suicide by authorities despite the evidence.
Attorney James Lewis, who is representing the US federal government in the extradition hearing, claimed that Assange conspired with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack computer systems at the Department of Defense. He said WikiLeaks documents were found at Osama Bin Laden’s Pakistani compound when he was killed in 2011, proving that the leaks were “useful to the enemies of the United States of America.”
“The US is aware of sources, whose redacted names and other identifying information was contained in classified documents published by WikiLeaks, who subsequently disappeared,” Lewis added.
Fitzgerald rejected Lewis’ claims and made the argument that the case is little more than a political railroading of a whistleblower’s advocate who the state wants to silence.
“Prosecution is not motivated by genuine concern for criminal justice but by politics. This extradition should be barred because the prosecution is being pursued for political motives and not in good faith,” he said.
Lewis made it clear that his intent is to criminalize freedom of expression and journalistic activities that are opposed by the state.
‘”It is in relation to a person who is or has been a Crown servant or government contractor is guilty if without lawful authority makes a damaging disclosure of any information relating to defense,” Lewis said.
“If a journalist or newspaper published secret information which is likely to cause harm within the category, it commits an offence,” he added.
Fitzgerald is framing Assange’s work as a rebuke of the heavy-handed administration of President Donald Trump, whose political ambitions were ironically bolstered by WikiLeaks disclosures throughout 2016.
“President Trump came into power with a new approach for freedom of the press… amounting effectively to declaring war on investigative journalists. It’s against that background Julian Assange has been made an example of,” he said.
“It’s against that background the Trump administration decided to make an example of Julian Assange, he was the obvious sign of everything Trump condemned.” he added.
Liberty Conservative News will continue to report on Assange’s extradition hearing as it continues.
