A Swedish tabloid says an arrest warrant has been issued for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on suspicion of rape, and officials have issued a statement "confirming media reports."

The prosecutor's office in Stockholm "confirms media reports that a foreign citizen has been arrested in absentia" but doesn't name Assange.

It says the arrest involves one count of molestation and one count of rape.

The WikiLeaks Twitter page referred to Saturday's article in Expressen, which cites prosecutor Maria Haljebo Kjellstrand, as "dirty tricks."

It says: "Expressen is a tabloid; No one here has been contacted by Swedish police. Needless to say this will prove hugely distracting."

Assange was in Sweden last week.