STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) – Sweden reopened a probe yesterday into rape allegations against Julian Assange, the  founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, who has infuriated  the U.S. military by publishing secret documents on Afghanistan.

Assange called the rape allegations baseless and described  the case against him as a “legal circus”.

WikiLeaks published more than 70,000 secret military files  on Afghanistan in July in what U.S. officials have called one of  the biggest security breaches in U.S. military history.

A lower official had withdrawn a rape probe against Assange  two weeks ago, while allowing an investigation into lesser  molestation charges to continue. Assange said he had been warned  by Australian intelligence that he could face a campaign to  discredit him after leaking the documents.

“It appears to be highly irregular and some kind of legal  circus,” Assange told the TV service of tabloid newspaper  Expressen. He said another, unrelated case had just been filed  against him in the United States, though he gave no details.

“I was dumbfounded and concerned as to the integrity of the  Swedish judicial process,” he said when asked what his feelings  were after the investigation was reopened.