New report claims CIA planned gun battle & abduction to snatch Assange

According to a report, the CIA planned to kidnap and even kill WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange while he was staying in the Ecuador embassy in 2017.

The report claimed former President Trump's ex-CIA director Mike Pompeo was set to take "aggressive action" against Assange as plans were made to abduct him.

The report said the US administration was apparently "alarmed" at reports which said Russian intelligence was ready to secretly take Assange to Russia.

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US officials had allegedly prepared various scenarios including a potential street battle in London with Russian agents which included crashing a car into the Russian vehicle and even shooting tires of a Russian plane whichthey believed would transport Assange to Moscow.

In another startling revelation, the report said US officials had asked British agents to open fire if it was required, and that they had apparently agreed.

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The report quoted ex-officials who said that the US has been covertly monitoring the movement of various WikiLeaks personnel.

The plan was apparently shelved over a potential international incident which would have harmed America's standing.

In August, lawyers belonging to the US government had criticised the British judge's decision to block Assange's extradition. The British judge had ruled Assange was at risk of suicide and had refused to grant permission for him to be extradited to the US.

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Assange has now been hauled in Belmarsh prison in the UK. The controversial WikiLeaks founder is wanted in 18 charges in the US relating to the 2010 release of US secret files which detailed key aspects of military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(With inputs from Agencies)