New filing from U.S. government inadvertently reveals Julian Assange is facing sealed charges

The United States government has charged -- under seal -- Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, The Washington Postreported late Thursday evening.

The disclosure came in an unrelated case.

While urging a judge to keep a matter sealed, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, wrote "due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged."

The prosecutor added that the charges would "need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested."

“The court filing was made in error," explained Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia. "That was not the intended name for this filing."