WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrested in Britain on Swedish allegations of sex crimes, was freed on bail by a British court on Tuesday.

Judge Howard Riddle granted him bail with conditions until another hearing on January 11.

The 39-year-old Australian, whose website has provoked US fury by publishing some of a trove of 250,000 classified US diplomatic papers, was accused this year of sexual misconduct by two female Swedish WikiLeaks volunteers during a stay in Sweden.

Assange denies the allegations and is fighting Swedish attempts to extradite him.-Reuters