Assange targets seat in Australian Senate

Canberra: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to run for a seat in the Australian Senate in elections due next year despite being under virtual house arrest in England and facing sex crime allegations in Sweden, the group said yesterday.

The 40-year-old Australian citizen is fighting extradition to Sweden. He has taken his legal battle all the way to Britain's Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on his case soon.

"We have discovered that it is possible for Julian Assange to run for the Australian Senate while detained. Julian has decided to run," WikiLeaks announced on Twitter.

Assange has criticised Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's centre-left government for not standing up for him against the potential threat of his extradition to the US for prosecution.

Australian police have concluded that WikiLeaks and Assange have not broken any Australian laws by publishing the US cables, although Gillard has condemned the action as "grossly irresponsible."