Relations inside the Ecuadorian embassy have been deteriorating for months.

It has been seven years since Julian Assange fled to the country's diplomatic mission in Knightsbridge, yards from the world-famous Harrods department store, facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations that he denied.

Thursday's arrest perhaps comes as little surprise after WikiLeaks held a press conference earlier this week accusing staff at the Ecuadorian embassy of spying on him.

Since Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno took office in 2017, Assange had repeatedly claimed his living situation within the embassy was becoming increasingly hostile, with the country trying to make life more difficult in a bid to force him to vacate the premises. 

Ecuador has consistently denied Assange's allegations.