It was a moment that global news organizations were desperate to show their audiences. Yet it wasn't captured by leading UK broadcasters like the BBC, Sky News or Independent Television News (ITN).
Ruptly, which has carved out a niche for itself by recording events around the world and selling the footage to other broadcasters, is a subsidiary of Russian state-backed media outlet RT.
Founded in 2013, the operation is headquartered in Berlin. The footage of Assange may be its biggest moment yet.
Laura Lucchini, deputy head of news at Ruptly, said the outlet has been shooting video outside the embassy 24/7 since at least April 5 with a rotating crew of five staffers It's even been broadcasting a shot of the building's front door on YouTube.
"For the last week, we closely monitored developments on this story while our team of producers worked in shifts," Lucchini said in a statement. "On many of these days and nights, there were no developments. We saw camera crews come and go. But we stayed. We believe that these images hold great news value."
According to the Guardian, after it started to seem in recent weeks that an arrest might be imminent,big UK broadcasters had formed a "pool" arrangement to take turns staking out the building. If something happened, the footage would be shared among the pool members.
That effort appeared to have been abandoned when the arrest failed to materialize. The BBC, ITN and Sky News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
News organizations around the world are now crediting — and paying for the rights to use — Ruptly's exclusive footage.
"We are happy to work with a young, ambitious and committed team who stayed on top of the story when all other media decided to leave," Lucchini said.
Russia has long expressed support for Assange. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a Facebook post after the arrest that "the hand of 'democracy' squeezes the throat of freedom."
But Lucchini said in an email that she does not feel influenced by the Russian government, saying "I wouldn't have accepted this position if I wouldn't have felt free in my decisions."
"We don't know why other camera crews left," she said. "We decided to carry on staying there because the eviction was expected. And it happened this morning."
After nearly 30 years in power, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has been ousted and arrested, the defence minister says.
Speaking on state TV, Awad Ibn Ouf said the army had decided to oversee a two-year transitional period followed by elections.
He also said a three-month state of emergency was being put in place.
Protests against Mr Bashir, who has governed Sudan since 1989, have been under way for several months.
Meanwhile, the main group that has been organising the demonstrations rejected the military statement and called on people to remain at a sit-in outside army headquarters.
Correspondents say protesters want a civilian council to lead the transition rather than a military one.
"I announce as minister of defence the toppling of the regime and detaining its chief in a secure place," Mr Ibn Ouf said in a statement.
Mr Bashir's exact whereabouts are not known.
Mr Ibn Ouf said the country had been suffering from "poor management, corruption, and an absence of justice" and he apologised "for the killing and violence that took place".
He said Sudan's constitution was being suspended, border crossings were being shut until further notice and airspace was being closed for 24 hours.
As the news broke, crowds of protesters celebrated outside army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, embracing soldiers and climbing on top of armoured vehicles.
Sudan's intelligence service said it was freeing all political prisoners, state-run Suna news agency reported.
Mr Bashir is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accuses him of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's western Darfur region.
However it is not clear what will happen to him following his arrest.
How did events unfold?
In the early hours of Thursday, military vehicles were seen entering the large compound in Khartoum that houses the defence ministry, the army headquarters and Mr Bashir's personal residence, AFP news agency reported.
State TV and radio later interrupted their programming with a message that the army would be making a statement.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through central Khartoum, some chanting: "It has fallen, we won."
Will this end the protests?
In a strongly worded statement, the main organisation behind the demonstrations, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), said the military had announced a "coup" that would reproduce the same "faces and institutions that our great people revolted against".
It urged people to continue the sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum and to stay on the streets of cities across the country.
"Those who destroyed the country and killed the people are seeking to steal every drop of blood and sweat that the Sudanese people poured in their revolution that the shook the throne of tyranny," the statement read.
The SPA has previously said that any transitional administration must not include anyone from what it called the "tyrannical regime".
A young woman who became a symbol of the protests also dismissed the military announcement,
Alaa Salah, nicknamed "Kandaka" or "Nubian queen" after she was filmed leading chants against the government, accused the authorities of "hoodwinking" the people.
The people do not want a transitional military council. Change will not happen with Bashir’s entire regime hoodwinking Sudanese civilians through a military coup. We want a civilian council to head the transition. #Sudan
The protests were originally sparked by a rise in the cost of living, but demonstrators then began calling for the president to resign and his government to go.
Omar el-Digeir, a senior protest member, told AFP news agency last week that the group was seeking a path "that represents the wish of the revolution".
Police had ordered officers not to intervene against the protests, but the government was criticised by rights groups for a heavy-handed response to the unrest.
Government officials say 38 people have died since the unrest began in December, but the pressure group Human Rights Watch said the number was higher.
Formerly an army officer, he seized power in a military coup in 1989.
His rule has been marked by civil war. The civil conflict with the south of the country ended in 2005 and South Sudan became independent in 2011.
Another civil conflict has been taking place in the western region of Darfur. Mr Bashir is accused of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity there by the ICC.
Despite an international arrest warrant issued by the ICC, he won consecutive elections in 2010 and 2015. However, his last victory was marred by a boycott by the main opposition parties.
The arrest warrant has led to an international travel ban. However, Mr Bashir has made diplomatic visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. He was forced into a hasty departure from South Africa in June 2015 as a court there considered whether to enforce the arrest warrant.
FILE - In this file image taken from video, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir speaks at the Presidential Palace, Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, in Khartoum, Sudan. Tens of thousands of Sudanese were making their way to the center of the country’s capital on Thursday, April 11, 2019, cheering and clapping in celebration as two senior officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power.(AP Photo/Mohamed Abuamrain, File)
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was ousted and arrested Thursday in an apparent military coup as army officials took power, effectively ending three decades of autocratic power that was marred by allegations of genocide.
The country’s defense minister, Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf, dressed in military fatigues, announced on state TV that a state of emergency has been imposed for the next three months and that the military would be taking over for the next two years to suspend the constitution and close the nation’s borders and airspace.
Ibn Ouf said after the two years, "free and fair elections" will take place. He said a transitional military council will lead the country for those two years.
The announcement comes hours after the military said to expect an “important statement” on state TV on state TV as well as reports that al-Bashir had been placed under house arrest inside the presidential palace. The circumstances of the ouster remain unclear.
Thursday’s news sent tens of thousands of Sudanese to the streets of the capital Khartoum cheering, singing and dancing in celebration.
Protesters chanted: “It has fallen, we won.”
Sudanese celebrate after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo)
Sudanese sources told Reuters that the 75-year-old Bashir was under house arrest and under “heavy guard” at the presidential residence. A son of Sadiq al-Mahdi, the head of the country’s main opposition Umma Party, told al-Hadath TV that Bashir was under house arrest along with “a number of leaders of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group”.
Pan-Arab TV networks said top ruling party officials were being arrested.
Word of al-Bashir’s remove comes months after protests erupted last December with rallies against a worsening economy. They quickly escalated into calls for an end to embattled al-Bashir’s rule.
The protests gained momentum last week after Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 20 years, resigned in response to similar demonstrations. The mass protests bear striking resemblances to the popular uprisings in 2011 that swept across several Arab nations and ousted leaders in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen.
"We are not leaving. We urge the revolutionaries not to leave the sit-in," the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the main organizers, said Thursday, warning against attempts to "reproduce the old regime."
Protesters pray during a demonstration near the military headquarters, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in the capital Khartoum, Sudan. Activists behind anti-government protests in Sudan say security forces have killed at least seven people, including a military officer, in another attempt to break up the sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum. A spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, said clashes erupted again early Tuesday between security forces and protesters who have been camping out in front of the complex in Khartoum since Saturday. (AP Photo)
The Sudanese government responded with an increased crackdown. Security forces tried repeatedly to break up the sit-in since Saturday, in violence that killed at least 22 people.
Armored vehicles and tanks were parked in the streets and near bridges over the Nile River, they said, as well as in the vicinity of the military headquarters where the sit-in was taking place. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. There were also unconfirmed reports that the airport in the Sudanese capital had been closed.
Ahead of the expected army statement, Sudanese radio played military marches and patriotic music. State TV ceased regular broadcasts, showing only the statement promising the statement and urging the public to "wait for it."
Protesters rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 8, 2019. Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan said security forces attempted to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters. A spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association told The Associated Press that clashes erupted early Monday between security forces and protesters, who have been camped out in front of the complex in Khartoum since Saturday. (AP Photo)
But the hours without an army statement raised fears among protesters that the military was seeking to keep its control. Some feared that the delay would allow al-Bashir to go into exile.
"Is there an attempt to get around the anger of the Sudanese people after they failed to end the protests by violence? If so, the revolution will continue," said Mariam al-Mahdi, of the opposition Umma Party.
Al-Bashir came to power in a 1989 coup, leading an alliance of the military and Islamist hard-liners. Since then, the military has stuck by him, even as he was forced to allow the separation of South Sudan and as he became a pariah in many countries, wanted by the international war crimes tribunal for atrocities in Darfur that led to the death of an estimated 300,000 people.
It was a moment that global news organizations were desperate to show their audiences. Yet it wasn't captured by leading UK broadcasters like the BBC, Sky News or Independent Television News (ITN).
Ruptly, which has carved out a niche for itself by recording events around the world and selling the footage to other broadcasters, is a subsidiary of Russian state-backed media outlet RT.
Founded in 2013, the operation is headquartered in Berlin. The footage of Assange may be its biggest moment yet.
Laura Lucchini, deputy head of news at Ruptly, said the outlet has been shooting video outside the embassy 24/7 since at least April 5 with a rotating crew of five staffers It's even been broadcasting a shot of the building's front door on YouTube.
"For the last week, we closely monitored developments on this story while our team of producers worked in shifts," Lucchini said in a statement. "On many of these days and nights, there were no developments. We saw camera crews come and go. But we stayed. We believe that these images hold great news value."
According to the Guardian, after it started to seem in recent weeks that an arrest might be imminent,big UK broadcasters had formed a "pool" arrangement to take turns staking out the building. If something happened, the footage would be shared among the pool members.
That effort appeared to have been abandoned when the arrest failed to materialize. The BBC, ITN and Sky News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
News organizations around the world are now crediting — and paying for the rights to use — Ruptly's exclusive footage.
"We are happy to work with a young, ambitious and committed team who stayed on top of the story when all other media decided to leave," Lucchini said.
Russia has long expressed support for Assange. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a Facebook post after the arrest that "the hand of 'democracy' squeezes the throat of freedom."
But Lucchini said in an email that she does not feel influenced by the Russian government, saying "I wouldn't have accepted this position if I wouldn't have felt free in my decisions."
"We don't know why other camera crews left," she said. "We decided to carry on staying there because the eviction was expected. And it happened this morning."
After nearly 30 years in power, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has been ousted and arrested, the defence minister says.
Speaking on state TV, Awad Ibn Ouf said the army had decided to oversee a two-year transitional period followed by elections.
He also said a three-month state of emergency was being put in place.
Protests against Mr Bashir, who has governed Sudan since 1989, have been under way for several months.
Meanwhile, the main group that has been organising the demonstrations called for them to continue on Thursday, despite the military intervention.
"I announce as minister of defence the toppling of the regime and detaining its chief in a secure place," Mr Ibn Ouf said in a statement.
It is not clear where Mr Bashir is being held.
Mr Ibn Ouf said the country had been suffering from "poor management, corruption, and an absence of justice" and he apologised "for the killing and violence that took place".
He said Sudan's constitution was being suspended, border crossings were being shut until further notice and airspace was being closed for 24 hours.
As the news broke, crowds of protesters celebrated outside army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, embracing soldiers and climbing on top of armoured vehicles.
Sudan's intelligence service said it was freeing all political prisoners, state-run Suna news agency reported.
Mr Bashir is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accuses him of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's western Darfur region.
However it is not clear what will happen to him following his arrest.
How did events unfold?
In the early hours of Thursday, military vehicles were seen entering the large compound in Khartoum that houses the defence ministry, the army headquarters and Mr Bashir's personal residence, AFP news agency reported.
State TV and radio later interrupted their programming with a message that the army would be making a statement.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through central Khartoum, some chanting "It has fallen, we won".
Will this end the protests?
In a strongly worded statement, the main organisation behind the demonstrations, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), said the military had announced a "coup" that would reproduce the same "faces and institutions that our great people revolted against".
It urged people to continue the sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum and to stay on the streets of cities across the country.
"Those who destroyed the country and killed the people are seeking to steal every drop of blood and sweat that the Sudanese people poured in their revolution that the shook the throne of tyranny," the statement read.
The SPA has previously said that any transitional administration must not include anyone from what it called the "tyrannical regime".
The protests were originally sparked by a rise in the cost of living, but demonstrators then began calling for the president to resign and his government to go.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Omar el-Digeir, a senior protest member, told AFP news agency last week that the group was seeking a path "that represents the wish of the revolution".
Police had ordered officers not to intervene against the protests, but the government was criticised by rights groups for a heavy-handed response to the unrest.
Government officials say 38 people have died since the unrest began in December, but the pressure group Human Rights Watch said the number was higher.
Formerly an army officer, he seized power in a military coup in 1989.
His rule has been marked by civil war. The civil conflict with the south of the country ended in 2005 and South Sudan became independent in 2011.
Another civil conflict has been taking place in the western region of Darfur. Mr Bashir is accused of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity there by the ICC.
Despite an international arrest warrant issued by the ICC, he won consecutive elections in 2010 and 2015. However, his last victory was marred by a boycott by the main opposition parties.
The arrest warrant has led to an international travel ban. However, Mr Bashir has made diplomatic visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. He was forced into a hasty departure from South Africa in June 2015 as a court there considered whether to enforce the arrest warrant.
Judge Andrew Napolitano called Julian Assange a “hero” after the WikiLeaks founder was arrested by British police Thursday moments after Ecuador withdrew his asylum for “repeatedly violating international conventions and protocol.”
”I have to tell you, in my opinion Julian Assange is a hero. What he published was truthful information that the American public and the world had the right to see,” Napolitano, a Fox News legal analyst, said on “Fox & Friends” Thursday about an hour after Assange was arrested.
The 47-year-old Australian native has been in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 when British courts ordered him extradited to face questioning in a sexual assault case. That matter has since been dropped, but Wikileaks, an anti-secrecy site, is facing a federal grand jury investigation over its publication of American diplomatic and military secrets during the Iraq War.
Moments before he was arrested, Ecuador announced it had withdrawn Assange's asylum for “repeatedly violating international conventions and protocol.”
“There’s no basis to arrest him in London for the sexual assault investigation in Sweden,” said Napolitano. “He apparently has been charged with something in the United States. We don't know. Because of this inadvertent release of a warrant for him. That is probably the true reason for his arrest. He will probably be extradited here. We will see the indictment. And we will probably have a show trial.”
Napolitano said If Assange is brought to the United States, he is likely going to say he can’t answer questions about where he got the information because he’s protected by the first amendment. He thinks Assange would say: “'I'm not going to tell you how I got Hillary Clinton's emails but I got them and we published them.'”
Napolitano said he agrees that exposing state department secrets would “diminish the private communications.”
He added: “But just as if we, working for Fox News, received secret information, ‘my god the public has to know this.’ The person who gave it to us commits the crime. The publisher does not commit the crime."
