After exiting the maximum-security penitentiary in southeastern London, Anderson talked about Assange's innocence to reporters gathered outside. Assange, an Australian citizen who took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition charges from Sweden over allegations of sexual assault, was forcibly removed from the embassy, where he had been living for nearly seven years. Assange has said he was worried that if Sweden extradited him, he would then be held liable by the U.S. government for the leak of classified documents from his website.