POLITICS: US Pushing to Grab Assange From Whoever's Got HIm!

Julian Assange hasn't been charged with any crime in the US, but the international tug-of-war for the WikiLeaks founder appears to have already begun. Assange is in British custody awaiting extradition proceedings to Sweden, and US officials have held informal talks with their Swedish counterparts over the possibility of having him delivered into American custody, diplomatic sources tell the Independent.

The Justice Department is looking to charging Assange under the Espionage Act or, if necessary, other statutes, but any attempt to extradite him is likely to be messy, the Washington Post notes. Sweden's extradition treaty with the US doesn't cover crimes that are political or military in nature, and experts say Washington's best chance of getting its hands on Assange will be to go after him while he is still in British custody.