THE British lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said today that Interpol's pursuit of his client could be linked to the "bellicose" US reaction to the recent release of secret diplomatic cables.
Media lawyer Mark Stephens refused, however, to give the whereabouts of the 39-year-old Australian, for whom the global police agency issued a so-called "red notice" for questioning on suspicion of rape on behalf of Sweden.
"This is a persecution and not a prosecution," Mr Stephens said.
"We have no evidence pointing to a link between these allegations from August and the issue of the Interpol alert just two days after the WikiLeaks first release of US diplomatic cables," he said.
"However, it is highly unusual for a red notice warrant to be issued in relation to the allegations reported as having been made, since Swedish law does not require custodial orders in relation to the allegation."
He said it appeared to be a "unique action" by Swedish prosecutors.
Mr Stephens said: "We are also investigating whether the prosecutor's application to have Mr Assange held incommunicado without access to lawyers, visitors or other prisoners - again a unique request - is in any way linked to this matter (the WikiLeaks data release) and the recent, rather bellicose US statements of an intention to prosecute Mr Assange."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused WikiLeaks on Tuesday of an "attack on the international community" by releasing the vast trove of leaked US diplomat memos containing a string of embarrassing revelations.
Earlier this month Mr Stephens said that Mr Assange was in Britain, but he did not give details on where his client was now.
Separately, James Ball, a journalist working with WikiLeaks, said the site was suffering continued cyber attacks after an initial attempt to send it offline after the first release of the documents on Monday.
"The main thing we are having to deal with is the constant attacks on the servers. If you look, the site is down right now, we are working to get it back up," he said.
He said WikiLeaks did not know who was responsible, but added: "I know they (WikiLeaks) are logging all the addresses behind the attacks and are planning to publish them."
Mr Ball said he had been in touch with Mr Assange in recent days but did not know where he was.
"We don't know where he is. I think given the nature of what they are working on, it is not surprising that he is taking certain security precautions," Mr Ball said.
Sweden's International Public Prosecution Office in Gothenburg issued an arrest warrant for the secretive activist on November 18, citing "probable cause of suspected rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion".
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