The U.S. Justice Department has filed a formal request to the United Kingdom to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange , according to multiple reports on Monday.

The request was reportedly sent on Thursday, a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Washington Post.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Assange was arrested on April 11 at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London on a single hacking charge from U.S. prosecutors shortly after hed been arrested and found guilty on unrelated charges from Swedish rape accusations that are still under investigation .

In May, a federal grand jury in Northern Virginia charged Assange with 18 counts related to his work with former U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning, including 17 counts of espionage.

Under its treaty with Britain , the U.S. had roughly 60 days to send the request for Assanges extradition. American officials also cannot prosecute Assange for any alleged crimes other than what they outlined in the extradition request, barring any violations that occur after hes extradited.