[size=1.2]Washington (CNN)The Justice Department announced Thursday an indictment against Julian Assange on conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in 2010 with Chelsea Manning.
[size=1.2]"The indictment alleges that in March 2010, Assange engaged in a conspiracy with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, to assist Manning in cracking a password" on classified Defense Department computer systems, according to a Justice Department statement.
[size=1.2]A lawyer for Assange indicated earlier Thursday the charges would be related to a conspiracy dating back to a 2010 release of stolen diplomatic documents by Chelsea Manning.
[size=1.06667][size=1.06667]READ: US indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
[size=1.2]Signs that the US was moving on the case emerged in recent weeks when prosecutors subpoenaed Manning to testify before a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia. She remains detained because she has refused to testify before a grand jury about her disclosure of military and diplomatic secrets to WikiLeaks.
[size=1.2]On Thursday, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, an attorney for Manning, said Assange's arrest does not offer a "foregone conclusion" that her client will be released.
[size=1.2]"Were (Assange) to be extradited we hope it would signal her release but that is not, unfortunately, a foregone conclusion," Meltzer-Cohen said.
[size=1.2]This story is breaking and will be updated.
Guess who is next ? Edward Snowden in Moscow.
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