WikiLeaks claims Ecuador cut off Assange's internet after Clinton's Goldman Sachs speeches dump

WikiLeaks has claimed that the internet connection of Julian Assange was cut off by Ecuador on 15 October. The whistleblowing platform wrote in a tweet that Assange's internet was severed shortly after the release of Clinton's Goldman Sach speeches.

WikiLeaks has also released a fresh batch of Podesta emails, indicating that despite the alleged interference with Assange's internet, the whistleblowing platform continues to function. WikiLeaks's tweet blaming Ecuador for the internet outage came just hours after a previous tweet was posted, which claimed that Assange's internet connection was "intentionally severed" by a "state party", adding that contingency plans had been activated to ensure that publication of any unreleased data go on unhindered.

The Ecuadorian embassy is yet to make any statement regarding Assange's internet access. However, the country's foreign minister Guillaume Long has said that Assange still remains under Ecuador's protection. "The circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain," Long said, Reuters reported.

Another source in the Ecuadorian government told the Press Association: "We don't respond to speculation circulating on Twitter. Ecuador will continue to protect Julian Assange and uphold the political asylum granted to him in 2012," the Guardian reported.

WikiLeaks' recent claims of Ecuador shutting off Assange's internet have sparked a tweetstorm among users. Among other things, Twitter users speculated about Assange's health and safety, while some also assumed Hillary Clinton and the US government was somehow to blame for the incident.

Assange has been living at the Ecuadorian embassy since 2012, after he was granted asylum. Assange is currently wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sexual allegation. Assange has denied all allegations, claiming that he would likely be extradited to the US to be interrogated over WikiLeaks' activities, if he left the Ecuadorian embassy.