LONDON �" British police stood poised Wednesday to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should he step out of Ecuador's London embassy �" but authorities conceded he is beyond their grasp as long as he stays inside. Assange, who faces questioning about alleged sex crimes in Sweden, says he is seeking political asylum at the South American nation's diplomatic mission. Police said that he had violated the terms of his bail, which include an overnight curfew, and "is now subject to arrest." Police officers were stationed outside the Edwardian apartment block in the tony Knightsbridge district that houses the embassy, along with a small group of pro-Assange protesters waving "Free Assange" placards. Officials at the embassy declined to give an update on the situation Wednesday. Assange supporter Gavin Macfadyen, of the Center for Investigative Journalism at London's City University, emerged from the embassy to say Assange was meeting with his lawyers and was "in very good humor." The Foreign Office said as long as Assange remains inside, he is "beyond the reach of police." "We will seek to work with the Ecuadorean authorities to resolve this situation as soon as possible," it said in a statement. The 40-year-old Australian took refuge in the embassy a few doors down from the Harrods department store on Tuesday. He said he was seeking political asylum in Ecuador, whose leftist President Rafael Correa has previously offered words of support. Ecuador said Assange would "remain at the embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorean government" while authorities in the capital, Quito, considered his case. Assange was arrested in London in December 2010 at Sweden's request. Since then he has been fighting extradition to the Scandinavian country, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sexual assaults on two women in August 2010.
