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2 December 2010
Last updated at 06:56 ET
Sweden's top court has rejected an attempt by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to appeal against a detention order issued for him over alleged sexual crimes.
The Supreme Court said it would not grant leave for Mr Assange to appeal against an earlier ruling.
Mr Assange has not been charged and denies the allegations, which stem from a visit to Sweden in August.
Interpol has issued a "red notice" for information on his whereabouts.
Mr Assange has dismissed the allegations against him as part of a smear campaign.
His legal battle comes amid the phased release of some 250,000 US diplomatic cables by the whistle-blowing Wikileaks website.
In the latest cables, US officials say that Russia has become a "virtual mafia state" with widespread corruption, bribery and protection rackets.
'Smear campaign' The Stockholm district court issued the arrest warrant for Mr Assange on 18 November on suspicion of "rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion".
The Svea Court of Appeals later upheld the detention order and the Supreme Court has now backed that ruling.
"The Supreme Court has reviewed the material and did not find reason to grant the leave to appeal," court documents said, adding that the Supreme Court only looked at exceptional cases and the interpretation of law.
UK media have reported that police are aware Mr Assange is in Britain but they have not yet acted on the international detention warrant.
However, Swedish Prosecution Office spokeswoman Helena Ekstrand said it had not received any information on his location.
"So the situation now is that the arrest warrant still stands and we are looking for Julian Assange," she said.
The UK newspapers spoke of a procedural error with the warrant.
Agence France-Presse news agency quoted a Swedish National Criminal Police spokesman on Thursday as saying a new warrant would be issued because of the fault.
Mr Assange's lawyer says any arrest warrant would be challenged in court.
"The process in this case has been so utterly irregular that the chances of a valid arrest warrant being submitted to me are very small," Mark Stephens told the Associated Press news agency on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said Mr Assange was at a secret location.
"When you have people calling for his assassination, it is best to keep a low profile," he said.
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The Supreme Court said it would not grant leave for Mr Assange to appeal against an earlier ruling.
Mr Assange has not been charged and denies the allegations, which stem from a visit to Sweden in August.
Interpol has issued a "red notice" for information on his whereabouts.
Mr Assange has dismissed the allegations against him as part of a smear campaign.
His legal battle comes amid the phased release of some 250,000 US diplomatic cables by the whistle-blowing Wikileaks website.
In the latest cables, US officials say that Russia has become a "virtual mafia state" with widespread corruption, bribery and protection rackets.
'Smear campaign' The Stockholm district court issued the arrest warrant for Mr Assange on 18 November on suspicion of "rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion".
The Svea Court of Appeals later upheld the detention order and the Supreme Court has now backed that ruling.
"The Supreme Court has reviewed the material and did not find reason to grant the leave to appeal," court documents said, adding that the Supreme Court only looked at exceptional cases and the interpretation of law.
UK media have reported that police are aware Mr Assange is in Britain but they have not yet acted on the international detention warrant.
However, Swedish Prosecution Office spokeswoman Helena Ekstrand said it had not received any information on his location.
"So the situation now is that the arrest warrant still stands and we are looking for Julian Assange," she said.
The UK newspapers spoke of a procedural error with the warrant.
Agence France-Presse news agency quoted a Swedish National Criminal Police spokesman on Thursday as saying a new warrant would be issued because of the fault.
Mr Assange's lawyer says any arrest warrant would be challenged in court.
"The process in this case has been so utterly irregular that the chances of a valid arrest warrant being submitted to me are very small," Mark Stephens told the Associated Press news agency on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said Mr Assange was at a secret location.
"When you have people calling for his assassination, it is best to keep a low profile," he said.
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