NEW YORK: High-profile politicians in the U.S. including Sarah Palin, who is in the race to become the Republican presidential candidate in 2012, have suggested the Julian Assange, the computer programmer should be 'executed' for publishing leaked U.S. state secrets, according to media reports here. Ms Palin has become the one of the front runners to lead the Republican party in 2012 presidential elections in the United StatesMr Assange's British lawyer, Mark Stephens, warned today that WikiLeaks was holding further secret material which he dubbed a 'thermo-nuclear device' to be released if the organisation needed to protect itself.

Mr Assange who was arrested Tuesday and denied bail by a British magistrate in London has promised to unleash more devastating documents which have been deemed as blackmail by many in Washington.

He said many of the papers being retained contained 'material of equal importance to news-gathering' as those already published.

He said: 'They [WikiLeaks] have been subject to cyber-attacks and censorship around the world and they need to protect themselves.

Mr Assange's lawyer has warned WikiLeaks was holding a 'thermo-nuclear device' of further secret information

'This is what they believe to be a thermo-nuclear device in the information age.

'It's interesting to note people as high up the American politics like Sarah Palin have called for him to be hunted down by American special forces and assassinated.