Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, is expected to plead guilty to a felony related to his role in a major classified information leak, according to court documents filed Monday. Assange has boarded a flight to Australia after London’s High Court granted him bail.
This deal ends a prolonged legal battle over Assange’s imprisonment and handling of security secrets. He faced life imprisonment if convicted of 18 U.S. criminal counts under the Espionage Act. However, President Biden considered an Australian request to end the prosecution.
Assange will appear before a federal judge in Saipan, Mariana Islands, to approve his plea on Wednesday. Post-sentencing, he is expected to return to Australia.
Arrested in 2019 after leaving London’s Ecuadorian Embassy, where he stayed for seven years, Assange has argued he acted as a journalist when publishing U.S. documents on Iraq and Afghanistan. Australia’s Parliament urged his return in February, deeming the case prolonged.
The State Department referred queries on Australia’s diplomatic efforts to the Justice Department, which declined to comment. The Australian government did not respond to requests for comment.
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