A Swedish prosecutor requested a court order Thursday to detain WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for questioning on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.

Assange has denied the allegations, which stem from his encounters with two women during a visit to Sweden in August.

The Stockholm District Court was to rule on the request later Thursday. The move could mean that prosecutors are preparing an international arrest warrant for the Australian, whose whereabouts were not immediately clear.

“The reason for my request is that we need to interrogate him,” Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny said in a statement. “So far, we have not been able to meet with him to accomplish the interrogation.”