'Refugee' Julian Assange arrives on Twitter

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has activated his Twitter account. His profile gives his location as the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and describes him as "refugee" who is "picking the lock to the chain that enslaves mankind -- ignorance."

Within minutes of activating the account, Assange managed to amass thousands of followers, and this is a number that is sure to skyrocket in the coming days now that the account is actually being used. So what did the reclusive man have to say with his first tweet?

Having been a man of few words for quite some time -- being holed up in an embassy trying to evade the legal system has a tendency to quieten one down -- Assange hardly bestowed great words of wisdom on the world. As the Wikileaks founder has not been seen for a while, rumors have started to circulate that he might actually be dead -- maybe even bumped off by the CIA. He says this is not the case:

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated (in a curious plot) https://t.co/S7Nd9SIXIw pic.twitter.com/KpDzLbokxH

— Julian Assange (@julianassange) February 14, 2017

Conspiracy theorists are already suggesting the possibility that this is not actually Assange, and there are calls to see him broadcasting live. But the Wikileaks Twitter account also proclaims that this is the man himself:

Our publisher @JulianAssange has activated his personal account and made his first tweet today. See @JulianAssange

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 14, 2017

It remains to be seen what Assange intends to use his Twitter account for. In the run-up to the US election he was quite vocal in his dislike of Hilllary Clinton, so it's possible we'll see a range of political tweets from him.