Ecuador's government says that as tensions with Julian Assange mounted in recent weeks, the WikiLeaks founder acted out with hostility against his hosts at the country's embassy in London.

Foreign Minister José Valencia spoke to lawmakers Thursday and described what he said were Assange's repeated violations of the conditions of his asylum that led the government to expel him from the diplomatic mission after almost seven years and hand him over to British authorities.

He said what began as erratic behavior by Assange - roller skating and playing soccer in embassy hallways and listening to loud music at all hours - evolved in recent months into aggressive behavior toward embassy staff.

Valencia said that Assange on occasions hit staff charged with guaranteeing his wellbeing and accused embassy officials of being U.S. spies looking to exchange information on WikiLeaks in exchange for debt relief for Ecuador.

Assange's lawyer says the WikiLeaks founder will fight his extradition to the United States.

Attorney Jennifer Robinson sounded defiant as she spoke to reporters after Assange was arrested in London on Thursday morning. She said the arrest sets a dangerous precedent for the rights of journalists.

Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he took asylum in 2012 while facing extradition to Sweden.

Robinson suggested Assange had long said he would be arrested if he was expelled if Ecuador expelled him from the embassy. She says at least he can now get medical care while in jail.

The defense team could fight attempts to extradite Assange to the United States to face charges related to the publication of tens of thousands of secret government documents.

President Donald Trump is claiming to "know nothing about WikiLeaks" despite past praise for the anti-secrecy organization.

Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Thursday about the arrest.

The president, who was sitting next to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said "It's not my thing" and didn't elaborate.

Trump praised WikiLeaks more than 100 times during the stretch run of the 2016 presidential campaign.

That fall, WikiLeaks released stolen embarrassing emails from the campaign of Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Earlier, a judge in London found Assange guilty of breaching his bail at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Judge Michael Snow quickly issued his verdict on Thursday after Assange appeared in the courtroom where his supporters packed the public gallery.

Assange faces a sentence of up to 12 months for the conviction, and has serious charges pending in the United States.

The WikiLeaks founder sought political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, after he was released on bail while facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations. The accusations have since been dropped but he was still wanted for jumping bail.

Separately, he has been under U.S. Justice Department scrutiny for years for WikiLeaks' role in publishing thousands of government secrets.

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