Julian Assange heads to US court on Pacific island after plea deal

The Wikileaks founder has agreed to plead guilty to one charge, in return for walking free.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUK General ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessFuture of BusinessTechnology of BusinessWork CultureInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersJulian Assange heads to US court on Pacific island after plea deal14 minutes agoBy Bernd Debusmann Jr and Vicky Wong, BBC News, Washington DC and LondonShareGetty ImagesJulian Assange will serve no time in US custody as part of the deal with the justice departmentWikileaks founder Julian Assange is due to appear in a US court, where he will formalise a plea deal and leave a free man following a 14-year legal battle.

Mr Assange is expected to arrive in the Northern Mariana Islands - an American territory in the Pacific - on Wednesday. He earlier left a British prison and flew to the Thai capital Bangkok for refuelling.

US officials were pursuing Mr Assange, 52, over charges related to a huge disclosure of secret files in 2010, which they said put lives in danger.

Reacting to the deal - which will see Mr Assange plead guilty to one charge - his wife Stella told the BBC she was "elated".

As part of his lengthy legal marathon, Mr Assange has spent the last five years behind bars in the UK, resisting American attempts to extradite him.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgggyvp0j9o

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