(CNN) -- The rape case involving WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being reopened, Swedish prosecutors said Wednesday.
"There is reason to believe that a crime has been committed," read a statement from Marianne Ny, Sweden's director of public prosecutions. "Considering information available at present, my judgment is that the classification of the crime is rape".
She said more investigation is necessary before she can make a final decision.
An ongoing investigation about a separate charge of molestation will be extended, she added, but the charge will also be escalated to include a sexual component.
The molestation charge was previously equivalent to a non-sexual charge of harassment, but it will now come under the heading of sexual coercion and sexual molestation, which are both crimes, she said.
Assange's lawyer, Leif Silbersky, said he and his client were "very surprised" at the decisions.
"It's unbelievable," he told CNN. "We thought that this circus had ended. Now it's happening all over again".
CNN
