Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- A Swedish prosecutor who issued a later-revoked arrest warrant against WikiLeaks founder and editor Julian Assange believed Assange was about to leave the country, according to a statement posted on the Sweden Prosecution Authority's website.
The warrant, issued on charges of rape and molestation, was revoked by Chief Prosecutor Eva Finne less than a day later. Assange, in remarks to Al-Jazeera on Sunday, said that authorities had reached "the height of irresponsibility" and that he believed he was the target of a smear campaign.
The warrant was issued Friday by an on-call prosecutor in Stockholm, according to a chronology posted Monday on the prosecution authority's website. The prosecutor "decided that Julian Assange was to be arrested," based on the allegations. The prosecutor based the decision on information police gave her over the phone -- a typical procedure, authorities said.
"The prosecutor was also made aware that the individual concerned was a foreign national and that he was about to leave the country," the chronology said. One reason for issuing the warrant was "that there was a risk that he would have time to leave the country before authorities had time to interrogate him. There was also a risk that he could have interfered with the investigation".
Meanwhile, a group that claims to work to protect individuals' legal rights in the Swedish justice system said Monday it has reported the on-call prosecutor to the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman of Justice. It was unclear what action, if any, the ombudsman could take against the prosecutor. CNN
