Assange: Kill or Bust Me and I Release Everything

WikiLeaks warns it has 'thermonuclear device' of encrypted files
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 6, 2010 3:21 AM CST
Updated Dec 6, 2010 7:58 AM CST
Assange: Bust Me And I Release Everything
In this Oct. 23, 2010 file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks during a news conference in London.    (AP Photo/Lennart Preiss, File)

WikiLeaks' founder has a "thermonuclear device" of unreleased files that he says he'll detonate if he's killed or brought to trial. Julian Assange has widely distributed an encrypted 1.3-gigabyte file containing the full versions of all the US documents the site has received, and his lawyer says the encryption key will be released if Assange is forced to appear before Swedish authorities on sexual assault charges or American authorities on treason charges, the Globe and Mail reports.

Assange has referred to the file as his insurance policy, claiming it contains names, addresses, and other details that were removed to protect spies, soldiers, and other sources. WikiLeaks "has been subject to cyber attacks and censorship around the world and they need to protect themselves. This is what they believe to be a thermonuclear device in the information age," said Assange's lawyer.
(More Julian Assange stories.)

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