The Trump administration's CIA was plotting to kidnap or assassinate Wikileaks founder Julian Assange during his solitary confinement at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, according to a detailed Yahoo News post.
The plans included abducting Assange from the embassy, thwarting a Russian attempt to capture him, or attempting to assassinate him.
Although none of these companies were ever approved, it illustrates the intelligence services' continued obsession with Wikileaks and the site's founder.
As sources, Yahoo cites conversations with more than 30 former US officials. Among them, eight provided details of Assange's abduction plans.
The publication he describes mainly the plans made during the Trump administration, which placed fewer restrictions on the CIA. The issue was particularly heated in March 2017, when the Wikileaks has published a list of hacking tools developed by the CIA.
After this, "WikiLeaks became Pompeo obsession", Says Yahoo.
"There was a fundamental change" when Trump took office, a former CIA official told Yahoo. "None of this crew was interested in the issues of the First Amendment."
The post confirms long-standing suspicions of tracking down Wikileaks activists, as well as spies around Assange during his time at the embassy.
"We got to the point where every man within three blocks of the embassy was working for one of the intelligence services," a Yahoo official said.
The plans were largely blocked by lawyers working with the White House or the Ministry of Justice, who ruled that any abduction was immediately illegal. The idea of a murder came to an end much earlier, with an official describing it as a "simple proposal for discussion".
However, these reports are in stark contrast to President Trump's campaign statements, in which he often praised Assange and Wikileaks for their role in publishing information leaked from the Clinton campaign.