WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with US that will allow him to walk free

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has left a British prison ahead of a court hearing where he is expected to plead guilty in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will resolve a long-running legal saga over the publication of a trove of classified documents. Assange is scheduled to appear in the U.S. federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge. Assange is expected to be sentenced to the five years he has already spent in the high-security British prison while fighting to avoid extradition to the U.S. to face charges. In a statement posted on X, WikiLeaks said it was grateful for “all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom.”