US and WikiLeaks Reach Plea Deal for Julian Assange's Espionage Charge

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has returned to Australia after 14 years of legal battles with the US government. His lawyer claims that his return has "saved his life", while his wife Stella described being overcome with emotion upon hearing about the crowds cheering at his arrival.

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents. The plea deal is expected to be finalized with a federal judge, bringing an end to the years-long legal saga that sparked debate over US national security and freedom. Assange, 52, was initially charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, which the US argued endangered lives by revealing sensitive information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He has spent the last five years in a British prison fighting extradition to the US. According to reports, Assange will appear in federal court on the island of Saipan, a US territory in the Western Pacific, to plead guilty to conspiring to obtain and disseminate classified national defense information under the Espionage Act. The guilty plea marks a sudden end to the criminal case that garnered international attention.