LONDON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A band of computer hackers said it will freeze U.K. government Web sites if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is extradited to Sweden on sexual assault charges.
The hacker network, called Anonymous, brought down the Web sites of MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and the Swedish government in "Operation Payback" after the businesses severed ties with WikiLeaks and the Swedish government issued an arrest warrant against Assange on unrelated sexual assault allegations. Assange, in a London jail, denies the allegations, saying they're part of a smear campaign.