Ecuador Play Could Land Assange in Jail

Julian Assange spent the night at Ecuador's London embassy—and it could cost him. The move violates the conditions of his $315,000 bail, which say he must remain at his friend's address in eastern England between 10pm and 8am. Now Scotland Yard is looking to arrest the WikiLeaks founder, reports the BBC, though the AP notes that so long as he remains in the embassy, he's beyond the grasp of British authorities. Ecuador, meanwhile, is "studying and analyzing" his request for asylum, officials said.

If, however, Ecuador officials settle the matter by "effectively putting him on the doorstep of the embassy," he could escape prosecution, a BBC correspondent says. Assange wouldn't be off the hook though. Instead, he would likely be extradited to Sweden. Though many legal experts admit to being mystified by Assange's dramatic asylum bid, one speculates that he's perhaps hoping to have a bargaining chip he can use to convince Sweden not to hand him over to the US. (More Julian Assange stories.)