Who in the World Can Arrest WikiLeaks' Julian Assange?

(Dec. 6) -- Controversial WikiLeaks head Julian Assange has been thumbing his nose at world leaders for a while now -- and world leaders have taken notice.

The once-mysterious Australian's face has been plastered across news outlets for more than a week in the wake of the most recent dump of diplomatic cables, and you don't need to be a conspiracy nut to see that governments around the globe are looking for ways to take him down.

For those who want to see Assange put away, going after him for breaking the law is a bit complicated. While some have been accusing him of treason in the United States, he can't technically be charged with that crime here since he's not an American citizen. The international nature of his organization makes questions of jurisdiction nearly impossible to answer.

It seems that a more plausible charge from the U.S. would be espionage -- and one First Amendment lawyer told NPR's Morning Edition that some of Assange's own comments may have made him more culpable in such a case.

Meanwhile, Sweden is trying to extradite Assange out of Britain, where he is believed to be hiding, regarding accusations that have nothing to do with is role in WikiLeaks. Swedish prosecutors have filed a request to get Assange over alleged abuses in a sex crimes case. So far, procedural errors seem to have hamstrung efforts to arrest him on charges in that matter.

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But the wily Australian, who seems like either James Bond or one of his maniacal enemies, depending on your point of view, appears to have another trick up his sleeve. He recently posted a deeply encrypted file of previously undisclosed information that could be made available instantly if WikiLeaks releases the password.

If he's killed or brought to trial, Assange says, he'll detonate that "thermonuclear device."

So is there any government out there that would help him? It looks like his native Australia has stepped up in support , saying he'd be allowed to return home and would be entitled to consular help if arrested abroad.

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