Julian Assange’s internet was shut off to stop any more shocking Wikileaks revelations about Hillary being released, Ecuador admits
Officials confirmed they cut off hacker's internet access following a raft of leaked emails targeting Democratic candidate's campaign
ECUADOR'S government has admitted that it cut off Julian Assange's internet access at its London embassy to stop him interfering in the US Presidential election.
The acknowledgement comes after the whistleblower's website WikiLeaks published documents from Hillary Clinton's campaign.
The holed-up hacker, who sought refuge in the embassy four years ago to avoid extradition over sex assault allegations, lost internet access shortly after WikiLeaks published information about speeches that Hilary Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs.
Assange and WikiLeaks posted emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and from John D. Podesta, a senior official in Clinton’s campaign, some of which have been highly embarrassing to the Democrats.
The scripts reveal her bantering relationship with the investment bank's execs, which is unlikely to allay fears among liberal Democrats that she is too cosy with Wall Street.
While Clinton's team has neither confirmed nor denied the leaked emails are authentic, there have been no indications they are fake.
WikiLeaks earlier accused the US of asking Ecuador to stop the site publishing documents about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Ecuador's foreign ministry denied its move was the result of pressure from the US.
The US state department said the allegation was "simply untrue".
Leftist President Rafael Correa's government published a statement saying it "exercised its right" to "temporarily restrict access to some of (WikiLeaks') private communications network within its Embassy in the United Kingdom".
The statement mentions the "wealth of documents" published by WikiLeaks that have impacted the US election campaign, and that the government of Ecuador "does not interfere in external electoral processes, nor does it favor any particular candidate".
It added: "Ecuador does not cede to pressures from other countries."
The extent of the restrictions on Assange's access to the web were not specified.
On Saturday, Assange was visited in the embassy by former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson who brought him a vegan lunch and some vegan snacks.
Speaking after the meeting, Anderson joked Assange was not pleased over the choice of the meal saying "he said I tortured him bringing him vegan food."
Some of Assange's more outlandish supporters suggested, quite incorrectly, that Anderson had set up the Australian.
Earlier, the US State Department said it had no role in restricting Assange's internet access.
"While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary (John) Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false,' State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
WikiLeaks said it activated 'contingency plans' after Assange's cut-off, and Ecuador said that its action did not stop the group continuing 'journalistic activities.'
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has long backed Assange's right to free speech and has also supported Clinton publicly.
"For the good of the United States and the world ... I would like Hillary to win,"he told broadcaster Russia Today last month.
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