Sweden denies Assange permission to attend funeral

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Swedish prosecutors say a request from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London without being detained in order to attend a funeral has been dismissed on procedural grounds.

The Prosecution Authority said in a statement Friday nothing in the Swedish legislation permits exceptions.

It was not clear which funeral Assange wanted to attend.

The 45-year-old Australian computer hacker is wanted for questioning over a rape allegation stemming from a 2010 visit to Sweden.

He denies the accusation, and fears being extradited to the United States to face espionage charges if he leaves the embassy. He has been holed up there for four years.