Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, left England and Wales on Monday evening, June 26, 2024, in secrecy, traveling aboard a £20 million Bombardier Global 6000 private jet from Stansted Airport. This marked the end of his 14-year legal and personal turmoil in Britain. Assange, who had been detained in Belmarsh high-security prison in London, was moved under a clandestine operation sanctioned by the High Court.
Assange’s journey took him to the Northern Mariana Islands, a remote U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean, where he is set to plead guilty to a single charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents. This plea deal, brokered with U.S. authorities, is expected to result in his freedom, reflecting the 62 months he has already served in prison.
Key figures reacting to the news include Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, pushing for Assange's release, and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who criticized the plea deal. Assange's wife, Stella, and their two sons, eagerly await his return to Australia.
Assange, 52, initially gained notoriety for publishing classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents in 2010, sparking global controversy. He spent over five years in London's Ecuadorian embassy to avoid extradition before being transferred to Belmarsh Prison in 2019. The plea deal’s finalization is anticipated in a Saipan court, allowing Assange to end his legal battles and return to a quieter life in Australia.