Great Britain and Ecuador remained in a standoff early Friday, following the South American nation's decision to grant Julian Assange asylum -- a decision British authorities are refusing to honor, saying they are committed to extraditing the WikiLeaks founder to Sweden.

According to the official Twitter feed of WikiLeaks -- a website that's published hundreds of thousands of once-secret U.S. government documents -- there were "over 35 police surrounding the Ecuadorian embassy in London" soon after 12:30 a.m. Friday. Britain's foreign ministry, though, earlier countered that there was a larger "police presence outside the British Embassy in Quito" than at the Ecuadorian mission in London.

Inside the latter embassy is Assange, the Australian national wanted in Sweden to face questioning over claims of rape and sexual molestation, as he's been since first seeking asylum in June.

On Thursday, he thanked his "courageous, independent" Ecuadorian hosts for protecting him "from persecution," after its Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño announced his nation was giving asylum to Assange and urged British authorities to let him travel freely to South America.

Outlining why the asylum request was granted, Patiño said his nation has a credible fear Assange -- who was described as an activist for freedom of the press and freedom of expression -- will be silenced if sent to Sweden and, perhaps eventually, the United States.

The minister specifically expressed concerns that if Assange were extradited to the United States, he might face charges of treason or espionage and, if convicted, be sentenced to death. In the United States -- where Assange hasn't been charged with anything, for now -- there are no guarantees Assange would receive a fair trial or that he wouldn't be subject to a military or secret tribunal, Patiño said.

"There are strong indications of retaliation by the country or countries who produced the information divulged by Mr. Assange, reprisals that could put at risk his security, integrity and even his life," the Ecuadorian government concluded.

U.S. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd on Thursday offered "no comment on Julian Assange or the dispute over his asylum between Ecuadorian and UK authorities."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said that the Justice Department is conducting an "active, ongoing criminal investigation" into the WikiLeaks disclosure of hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents relating to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and about 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. Assange and his supporters claim a U.S. grand jury has been empaneled to consider charges against him.

It is unclear if Assange could be charged with treason in the United States or what sentence he'd face if convicted. Those convicted of treason in the United States may be sentenced to between five years in prison up to death, according to federal law published on the U.S. House of Representatives' website. But the law only applies to those "owing allegiance to the United States."

A death sentence also can be imposed on those convicted of espionage by communicating certain sensitive information to a "foreign government" or other such faction "with intent or reason" to harm the United States, according to U.S. federal law. But there are death penalty restrictions for that crime.

Like other left-leaning Latin American leaders such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Bolivia's Evo Morales and Cuba's Fidel Castro, Ecuador President Rafael Correa has railed against the United States as an "imperial power that has to be checked," said Robert Amsterdam, a Canadian international lawyer who's worked on high-profile cases involving Latin America, Russia and Thailand.

Correa, an economist who earned two academic degrees in the United States and is up for re-election next February, said in an interview with Assange earlier this year on the activist's TV show: "I love and admire the American people a great deal ... But I will always call a spade a spade."

The Ecuadorian president also hasn't hesitated to poke Britain, as he did in calling for sanctions in February against that nation over its long-running dispute with Argentina over who owns the Falkland Islands.

That UK-Ecuador dispute is the focal point of the current tension, with both nations appearing firm in their positions.

Britain is disappointed by Ecuador's decision and will continue to "carry out (its) obligation" to arrest and extradite Assange to Sweden, with the UK Foreign Office saying "the Ecuadorian government's decision this afternoon does not change that."

British Foreign Minister William Hague added his nation won't provide safe passage for Assange, and that the UK had "painstakingly" assured the Ecuadorians that his human rights would be protected.

"It is important to understand that this is not about Mr. Assange's activities at WikiLeaks or the attitude of the United States of America. He is wanted in Sweden to answer allegations of serious sexual offenses," Hagues said.

Assange was arrested in Britain in 2010 because Swedish authorities wanted to question him about the allegations. Two women accused him of sexually assaulting them during an August 2010 visit to Sweden in connection with a WikiLeaks release of internal U.S. military documents. Assange denies the allegations and argues they are in retribution for his organization's disclosure of American secrets.

Patiño jabbed British authorities for sending a written notice to Ecuador that they would "assault" his country's embassy in London if Ecuadorian officials failed to hand over Assange.