Chequered past of Assange’s Irish bodyguard

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s unofficial bodyguard previously worked in Dublin wet hostels and was cleared in the Four Courts for damaging a US warplane at Shannon in Feb 2003.

Ciaron O’Reilly, an Irish Australian born in Brisbane but now living in London, spent some of the past decade in Dublin but now works with Assange as the latter fights extradition.

Assange is wanted in Sweden to face rape charges. He took refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London and says if he were extradited to Sweden he would then be extradited to the US over the disclosure of US cables.

Mr O’Reilly said he had become one of two bodyguards for Assange because “he didn’t have too many people to choose from”.

“He obviously trusts me... and I’m pretty big,” said Mr O’Reilly. He was jailed in the US during the first Gulf War after a protest involving a B-52 plane.