Ecuador's Foreign Minister José Valencia revealed more details about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s behavior while he lived at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
Valencia told lawmakers that Assange’s physical and mental health were "seriously declining" after living inside the Embassy for nearly seven years and that the prospect of keeping him at the embassy indefinitely would have increased the risk of his health deteriorating further.
Valencia said Assange’s behavior was "aggressive" and he had "improper hygiene practices."
Speaking to the country’s National Assembly today, Valencia said Assange had been riding scooters, playing soccer indoors and insulting embassy staff. He also said Assange was using loud speakers at 1:30 a.m.
Assange also tried to block security cameras inside the embassy and accused staff of spying on him on behalf of the US. He installed his own cameras and unauthorized equipment at the embassy.
He was given a Wi-Fi password to use the internet, but he declined it. He was using a cell phone that was not registered with the embassy.
Assange claimed he was kept in isolation, but he was receiving guests regularly -- friends, relatives, reporters and WikiLeaks staff, Valencia said. Assange also made false claims in his naturalization application documents, according to Valencia.