UK response to attempted Ecuadoran embassy break-in "inadequate," says gov't

Ecuadoran officials were concerned with the failure of British authorities to prevent or respond to an attempted break-in at Ecuador's embassy in London, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The embassy is likely one of the world's most watched buildings, since it has served to house WikiLeaks founder and asylum-seeker Julian Assange for the past four years.

"The Eduadoran government expresses its concern for the inadequate response of British authorities, who arrived at the diplomatic mission more than two hours after the incident," the ministry said in a statement.

It also "lamented that despite the enormous resources the British government has earmarked to prevent Julian Assange from leaving the Ecuadoran mission, the authorities have not responded with greater speed."

Britain has spent millions on round-the-clock surveillance of the building and 24-hour police presence outside the entrance.

The attempted break-in occurred in the early hours of Monday, as an unknown intruder tried to enter the building.

Ecuador said embassy personnel had handed over to the authorities the evidence to clear up the "serious incident," and added it was willing to cooperate with any investigation.

Assange has been holed up at the embassy since June 2012, trapped by legal and diplomatic standoffs involving not just Britain and Ecuador, but also Sweden and the United States.

Rights activists claim Washington is ultimately behind the push to keep Assange from traveling to Ecuador, which granted him political asylum, in order to extradite him to the United States to stand trial for crimes against the state.

Assange's anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks has released thousands of confidential and compromising U.S. documents, as well as video footage, on the U.S. role in Middle East wars. Endit