UPPSALA, SWEDEN (REUTERS) - A court in Sweden on Monday (June 3) rejected a request from prosecutors that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be detained in absentia, complicating the process of having the Australian citizen extradited to Sweden for questioning over an allegation of rape.

The ruling was read out by the judge in the case at the local court in Uppsala, north of the capital Stockholm.

On May 13, Sweden reopened an investigation into the rape allegation against Assange, which he denies.