London: Police have gathered outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, in anticipation that Julian Assange may be about to end his self-imposed two-year exile.
If he walks out he is likely to be arrested and extradited to Sweden where he faces an investigation into sexual assault allegations.
He may also face repercussions from skipping police bail by entering the embassy in June 2012.
Assange claims he would then be at risk of being sent to the United States where a warrant awaits over his work with WikiLeaks exposing classified diplomatic and military information.
It has been reported that his worsening health is behind his change of heart.
Assange's state of health was vividly described by a Mail on Sunday interviewer on the weekend - who listed the translucent pale skin, persistent cough and dark rings under his eyes.
The Mail reported: "Assange is, according to a WikiLeaks source, suffering from the potentially life-threatening heart condition arrhythmia and has a chronic lung complaint and dangerously high blood pressure. A severe shortage of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is impacting on his general health – in the long term, it can trigger asthma and diabetes, weaken bones and increase the risk of dementia."
The British Foreign Office had turned down Ecuador's request to take him to hospital under diplomatic protection, the Mail said.
more to come
