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Posted: Sat, 11 Mar 2017 06:00:03 GMT

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a video posted March 9, 2017, has had a bizarre meeting with Nigel Farage.

THE man responsible for the rise of Britain’s exit from Europe has held a secret meeting with Australian Wikilieaks founder Julian Assange — and he won’t say why.

In the height of Wikileaks’ expose of highly sensitive CIA files, Assange, who has been holed up inside the Ecuadorean embassy in West London since 2012, met with the former leader of Ukip (The UK Independence Party) Nigel Farage, for approximately 40 minutes, a source inside Ukip told The Independent.

The meeting came just one day after Wikileaks released thousands of documents that allegedly detail the CIA’s hacking standards, described as an “eye-opening look at the intimate details of the agency’s cyberespionage effort”.

Mr Assange accused the CIA of “devastating incompetence” for keeping highly classified secrets in the one place.

Mr Farage was spotted leaving the building behind Christian Mitchell, the head of operations at LBC radio station (where Farage hosts a regular show), yet bizarrely told Buzzfeed he couldn’t remember what he was doing inside or why he was there.

“I never discuss where I go or who I see,” Mr Farage said.

Nigel Farage spotted leaving a meeting with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (not pictured). Picture: Buzzfeed

Nigel Farage spotted leaving a meeting with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (not pictured). Picture: BuzzfeedSource:Supplied

It’s left many scratching their heads as to why Mr Farage, a global heavyweight in the world of politics, would meet with Mr Assange. Farage has no known links to Ecuador but his relationship with the United States has left some to hypothesise of a potential alliance between the three.

Farage is well-liked within the Trump administration, and reportedly offered his services as an intermediary between the US and the UK.

Meanwhile Mr Assange is seen to be favourable of the Trump administration, saying in January this year that the Obama administration was “trying to delegitimise the Trump administration as it goes into the White House”.

Former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage in London on February 28, 2017. Picture: Justin Tallis

Former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage in London on February 28, 2017. Picture: Justin TallisSource:AFP

US President Donald Trump has been a vocal supporter of both men, though in recent days the Trump administration has expressed “grave concern” over the release of the CIA files.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer denied he had any knowledge of the meeting taking place.

“I have no idea,” he said. “I have my own concerns here keeping track of what everyone is doing. I generally don’t worry about what’s going on across the pond.

“This is silly. I don’t think asking where random foreign leaders are and whether they are there … I’m sure he was there doing whatever. But I don’t keep his schedule.”

Mr Assange has been claiming diplomatic asylum in the embassy since June, 2012, after a UK Supreme Court ruled in favour of his extradition to Sweden, where he would face questioning over allegations of rape and molestation. Mr Assange denies those allegations. Ecuador has granted Mr Assange asylum for the last five years.

Meanwhile, Mr Assange says he will provide details of CIA hacking tools to tech companies like Apple and Samsung so they can defend their devices against the intelligence agency.

— youngma@news.com.au

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