WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with US and return to Australia

WASHINGTON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will resolve a long-running legal saga that spanned multiple continents and centered on the publication of a trove of classified documents, according to court papers filed late Monday.

Assange is scheduled to appear in the federal court in the Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific, to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information, the Justice Department said in a letter filed in court.

The guilty plea, which must be approved by a judge, brings an abrupt conclusion to a criminal case of international intrigue and to the U.S. government's years-long pursuit of a publisher whose hugely popular secret-sharing website made him a cause célèbre among many press freedom advocates who said he acted as a journalist to expose U.S. military wrongdoing.

He is expected to return to Australia after his plea and sentencing, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time in Saipan, the largest island in the Mariana Islands. The hearing is taking place there because of Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental U.S. and the court’s proximity to Australia.

Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with US and return to AustraliaWASHINGTON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the U.S.
Source: BurnabyNOW_News - 🏆 14. / 77 Read more »

Wikileaks’ Julian Assange to Plead Guilty, Ending Yearslong US BattleWikileaks co-founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to leaking US national security secrets and return to his native Australia, under a deal with the Justice Department that ends a nearly 15-year battle over his prosecution.
Source: BNNBloomberg - 🏆 83. / 50 Read more »

WikiLeaks’ Assange expected to plead guilty to U.S. espionage charge, document saysWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange expected to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents
Source: globeandmail - 🏆 5. / 92 Read more »

Wikileaks founder expected to plead guilty to one count of violating U.S. espionage act: court filingWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to plead guilty this week to violating U.S. espionage law, in a deal that could end his imprisonment in Britain and allow him to return home to Australia, U.S. prosecutors said.
Source: CTVNews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Beguiling new documentary puts WikiLeaks star Jacob Appelbaum in the spotlightJamie Kastner’s uses all his documentarian skills with Nobody Wants to Talk About Jacob Appelbaum to craft a fascinating portrait of Appelbaum
Source: globeandmail - 🏆 5. / 92 Read more »

Australian opposition puts nation's first nuclear power plants in its energy plan ahead of electionsMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s main opposition party on Wednesday announced plans to build Australia’s first nuclear power plants as early as 2035, ...
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »