(Bloomberg) -- A U.S. decision to bring new charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may raise his chances of being extradited straight to America, rather than to Sweden where prosecutors are investigating a rape allegation against him.

The new charges -- 17 counts related to endangering U.S. national security by conspiring to obtain and disclose classified information -- will weigh on the U.K.’s decision about which of the two countries’ cases to address first, if Sweden also requests his extradition from Britain where he’s serving a jail sentence for skipping bail.

“U.S. prosecutors have seriously upped the ante” in their bid to have him extradited there, Nick Vamos, a lawyer at Peters & Peters in London, and the new charges “may change the outcome” of the U.K.’s decision. Home Secretary Sajid Javid will have to rule on which of the charges should take precedence, taking account of the seriousness of the offenses.

The U.S. charges come in the run-up to President Donald Trump’s arrival in London next month for a formal state visit, and at a time when U.S. officials have publicly scolded the British government over its approach to national security.

“This is madness,” WikiLeaks tweeted in response the new charges. “It is the end of national security journalism and the first amendment.”

‘Changes Calculation’

Swedish prosecutors said this week they’d issue a European Arrest Warrant for Assange, if a court approves their request to detain him over rape accusations, which he denies. This month, the authorities reopened a probe into the allegations against him.

The U.S. extradition request was unveiled within hours of Assange’s arrest inside the Ecuadorean embassy last month. Its initial charge related to hacking a Department of Defense computer and carried a maximum five-year jail sentence, while Assange now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the 17 new counts if convicted, the Justice Department said.

The escalation of the U.S. bid for his extradition “is significant and potentially changes the calculation for the home secretary,” said Thomas Garner, an extradition lawyer at Gherson in London, though there are “strong arguments” to prioritize the Swedish case. The limitation period on the Swedish charge will expire next year, strengthening the case for focusing on it, Vamos said.

The decision by Prime Minister Theresa May to announce her departure by June 7 may cloud the situation. Javid may be a candidate for the top post, and whatever the outcome, a new premier may want to make changes to the cabinet, and appoint a new home secretary.

Figures including opposition Labour Party lawmakers in the U.K. have put pressure on the government to put the rape allegations first. Jess Phillips, a Labour lawmaker, said last month that if the Swedish case isn’t prioritized “we send a very clear message that when we talk about the safety and security of our country, we are excluding women’s safety."

Although the new charges significantly increase the possible sentence, the U.K. will still need “to balance the U.S. request for hacking offences against the Swedish request for rape,” said Anthony Hanratty, a lawyer at BDB Pitmans.

“Applying the criteria in the Extradition Act, and politically, I expect delaying the U.S. request and allowing the Swedish request to be dealt with will be an easier decision,” Hanratty said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kaye Wiggins in London at kwiggins4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser, Stuart Biggs

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