Founder of WikiLeaks reaches home in Australia, as a free but convicted felon. In deal with US, he agreed to plead guilty to one count of violating the Espionage Act.
Assange has not spoken to the media in Canberra yet. Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to him by phone after his plane landed.
During a three-hour hearing, Assange pled guilty to conspiring to disclose classified US defence documents but said he believed the Constitution's First Amendment protected his actions.
Assange was indicted during Trump's administration for WikiLeaks' release of secret US documents leaked by Chelsea Manning, a former US military intelligence analyst.
US officials are looking to extradite Assange from British prison to the US, where he is wanted on criminal charges over WikiLeaks’ release of confidential US military records.
Julian Assange is wanted by U.S. authorities on 18 charges relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.
While Assange's legal team prepares for a bail hearing, prosecutors say they will fight his release, dragging the process through the UK courts for months or years.
From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.
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