WikiLeaks founder Assange in new bail bid

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will make a fresh appeal to be granted bail when he returns to court today.

The 39-year-old Australian was remanded in custody last week as he vowed to fight attempts to extradite him to Sweden for alleged sex offences.

He is due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court for a second hearing this afternoon.

If Assange is denied bail a second time he is expected to appeal at the High Court.

The former hacker, who is accused of sexually assaulting two women in Sweden, turned himself in to Scotland Yard detectives last week.

His legal team has claimed Swedish prosecutors have been put under political pressure to restart their inquiry to help silence and discredit Assange.

The decision to remand him in custody came despite the offer of a £180,000 (€213,125) surety from backers including John Pilger, Jemima Khan and Ken Loach.

The accusations against him include rape and molestation in one case and molestation and unlawful coercion in a second.

Assange has denied the allegations, which he has claimed stem from a dispute over "consensual but unprotected sex".

District Judge Howard Riddle refused bail on the grounds there was a risk Assange would fail to surrender.

Assange's court appearance comes as the latest WikiLeaks releases reveal US concerns that the UK was struggling to cope with homegrown extremism in the wake of the July 7 bomb attacks in London, along with cables suggesting British police helped "develop" evidence against Madeleine McCann's parents as they were investigated by Portuguese authorities looking into their daughter's disappearance.

Senior politicians have said WikiLeaks has jeopardised United States national security and diplomatic efforts around the world.

The case has become an international cause celebre as governments weigh up the damage to their reputations with the right to freedom of speech.

Around 15 supporters of the Justice for Assange Campaign gathered outside the Swedish Embassy in central London yesterday, wearing masks bearing Assange's face and gagging themselves with US flags.

Slogans on their banners included "political prisoner", "gagging the truth" and "honey trapped in Sweden".

The London-based campaign group was set up by a group of media workers after Assange was arrested.

Documentary film-maker Sharon Ward said: "We felt we had to do something. We owe a lot to what WikiLeaks are doing today."

She claimed that the US was behind the arrest, and was concerned that it could result in Assange facing charges there.

"I do think it's politically motivated and I think they are just trying to get hold of him any way they can," she said.

"It's quite well documented that the US are desperately trying to invent charges for him."

She added: "I think back-door extradition is going to happen here."

A ComRes poll for CNN found more than four out of 10 British people (44%) believe the charges are an excuse to get Assange into custody so the Americans can prosecute him for releasing secret diplomatic papers.

The same percentage said they believed he should be sent to Sweden to face questioning when ComRes interviewed 2010 adults online between December 10 and 13.