A SWEDISH prosecutor has said the probe into alleged rape involving WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been dropped.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson spoke on Tuesday as she gave an update on the Swedish case.

In June a Swedish court ruled that Assange, who is currently in prison in Britain, should not be detained – meaning that while a preliminary investigation in Sweden shouldn’t be abandoned, he wouldn’t be extradited and could be questioned in Britain.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, said: “Sweden has dropped its preliminary investigation into Mr Assange for the third time, after reopening it without any new evidence or information.

“Let us now focus on the threat Mr Assange has been warning about for years: the belligerent prosecution of the United States and the threat it poses to the First Amendment.”

Assange was evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London in April, where he had been holed up since 2012. He was immediately arrested and is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for jumping bail in 2012.

He is also fighting extradition to the US, which accuses him of publishing secret documents.