WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is afraid of what might await him in an American prison, a friend told ABC News on Thursday.
After spending almost seven years living in Ecuador's embassy in London, Assange was arrested Thursday after Ecuador withdrew his asylum. The U.S. Justice Department has charged him with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and requested he be extradited. If found guilty, he could receive five years in prison.
Last year, Ecuador lifted its ban on visitors to the embassy, and Assange frequently invited over his friend Sean Langan, a documentary filmmaker. Langan told ABC News' podcast The Investigation that Assange "was worried that, if he was in a normal American prison, being beaten up." Langan said he tried to use gallows humor, telling Assange he would most likely "be put into one of those federal Supermax prisons where you won't see a soul." Assange didn't laugh.
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When they would meet, Assange made sure that music was playing over speakers, Langan said, in case the room was bugged. He also revealed that Assange hasn't been in the best health and was bothered by rumors that he smelled bad and lived in squalor. "That really hurt him," Langan said.
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