LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released on bail Thursday - confined to a supporter's 600-acre estate but free to get back to work spilling U.S. government secrets on his website as he fights Sweden's attempt to extradite him on allegations of rape and molestation.
The silver-haired Australian, who surrendered to British police Dec. 7, will have to observe a curfew, wear an electronic tag and report to police in person every day.
But there are no restrictions on his Internet use, even as U.S. authorities consider charges related to thousands of leaked diplomatic cables and other secret documents WikiLeaks has released. The site has released just 1,621 of the more than 250,000 State Department documents it claims to possess, many of them containing critical or embarrassing U.S. assessments of foreign nations and their leaders.
Assange emerged late Thursday after a tense scramble to gather the money and signatures needed to free him. Assange - who's been out of the public eye for more than a month - told supporters he will continue bringing government secrets to light.
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"It's great to smell the fresh air of London again," he said to cheers from outside the court. "I hope to continue my work."
Later, BBC footage captured the 39-year-old riding in a white armored four-by-four outside the Frontline Club, a venue for journalists owned by his friend and supporter Vaughan Smith.
A few hours later, Assange arrived at Ellingham Hall, Smith's 10-bedroom mansion about 120 miles northeast of central London.
Assange was granted conditional bail Tuesday, but prosecutors appealed, arguing that he might abscond. High Court Justice Duncan Ouseley rejected the appeal Thursday, saying Assange "would diminish himself in the eyes of many of his supporters" if he fled.
WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson had said Assange might have to spend one more night behind bars anyway, because of difficulties producing the 200,000 pounds ($316,000) bail pledged by several wealthy supporters, including filmmaker Michael Moore. But lawyers managed to collect the money quickly.
The restrictions Ouseley imposed on Assange amount to "virtual house arrest," Hrafnsson said. The subject of whether Assange should have Internet access was never raised in court. WikiLeaks continued publishing documents even while Assange was in prison - including a new batch that hit the Web two hours ahead of his release.
The publication of the cables has angered U.S. government officials, embarrassed allies and nettled rivals. The U.S. State Department says international partners have curtailed dealings with Washington as a result of the cable leaks.
U.S. officials are investigating WikiLeaks and considering charges against Assange, a case that if pursued could end up pitting the government's efforts to protect sensitive information against press and speech freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.
