Ecuador says WikiLeaks claim of Assange's expulsion is false

April 6 (UPI) -- Ecuador has no imminent plans to kick WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange out of its embassy in Great Britain, the South American nation's foreign ministry said.

The ministry said in a news release Friday that Assange's organization, which as a record of publishing government information and other documents, has circulated a false rumor that the WikiLeaks founder could soon be kicked out of the embassy.

On Thursday, the official WikiLeaks Twitter account said, "A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told [us] that Julian Assange will be expelled within 'hours to days.'"

It added that Ecuador reached an agreement with Great Britain for Assange's impending arrest, an accusation the foreign ministry said was a distortion of reality.

Assange has resided in the Ecuadorian embassy since 2012, originally to avoid extradition to Sweden on a rape case. Those charges have since been dropped, but Assange has remained in the embassy, fearing extradition to the United States.

Last year, Assange threatened to sue Ecuador's government, saying it was "violating his fundamental rights."

WikiLeaks said in a post on its website that Ecuador was motivated to expel Assange from its embassy over the so-called INA Papers leak, which Assange's organization said connects Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno to corruption. WikiLeaks said Ecuador's government has blamed it for the leak.