Julian Assange has internet access cut off by Ecuadorian embassy

Government suggests it could punish the Wikileaks founder even further if he continues to send inflammatory tweets

Julian Assange has been banned from the internet by the Ecuadorian embassy, where he lives.

The Wikileaks founder has been upsetting the Ecuadorian government by sending messages that could anger other countries, the Ecuadorian government said.

"The Ecuadorean government believes Assange's behaviour, through his messages on social media, put at risk good relations which this country has with the UK, the rest of the EU and other nations," it said in a statement posted to Twitter. Mr Assange had signed a written agreement not to send any messages that might undermine Ecuador's relationships with other countries, it said.

More measures might be taken if Mr Assange fails to keep to the agreement, it said, though it didn't clarify what those might be.

The last tweet from Mr Assange's account was a message directed at a UK minister who called him a "miserable little worm" and said he should turn himself in. "As a political prisoner detained without charge for 8 years, in violation of 2 UN rulings, I suppose I must be 'miserable'; yet nothing wrong with being a 'little' person although I'm rather tall; and better a 'worm', a healthy creature that invigorates the soil, than a snake," he wrote.

Mr Assange's supporters, including internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, have begun a campaign under the banner "reconnect Julian". They have asked people to head to the embassy, in London's Knightsbridge, to show support for Mr Assange and to ask that diplomats let him back on the internet.

Mr Assange has been living in Ecuador's embassy for more than five years.

Ecuador gave him asylum after he sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden for investigation of sex-related claims.

Sweden dropped the case, but Mr Assange remains subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail.