Julian Assange was granted bail today in the UK, which will allow him to leave jail on the condition that he surrenders his passport and wears an electronic tracking device, The Guardian UK reports. Swedish prosecutors have two hours to file an appeal against the decision.
Assange is not able to leave until the appeals process is complete, leading one of his lawyers to predict that he won’t be released tonight, via a tweet by UK Times reporter Alexi Mostrous.
In addition to surrendering his passport and wearing a tracking device, Assange must also abide by a curfew of 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM and 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM and check in at the police station every day at 6:00 PM. The restrictions were suggested by Assange’s barrister Geoffrey Robertson.
More than £200,000 has been offered in collateral for Assange’s bail, with ten celebrities and other well-known figures also offering surety, including American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and English entrepreneur Vaughan Smith.
Update:
Swedish prosecutors will not appeal Julian Assange’s release on bail, according to ABC’s Jim Sciutto.
Update II:
Swedish prosecutors decide, contrary to earlier reports, to appeal Assange’s bail, according to BBC news.
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