After years of legal palava, Wikileaks say dia founder Julian Assange don comot UK after reaching a deal with US authorities wey go see am plead guilty to criminal charges and go free.

Assange, 52, bin dey charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

For years, US bin don argue say di Wikileaks files - wey disclose information about Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endanger lives.

Assange spend di last five years inside one British prison, from where e bin dey fight extradition to di US.

According to CBS, BBC US partner, Assange no go spend time for US custody and go receive credit for di time e spend for prison for UK.

Assange go return to Australia, according to one letter from di justice department.

On X, di platform wey dey formerly known as Twitter, Wikileaks say Assange comot Belmarsh prison on Monday after 1,901 days inside one small cell.

Dem come "release am for Stansted airport for afternoon, wia e enter plane and depart from UK" to return to Australia, di statement add.

Video shared online by Wikileaks appear to show Assange, wey dress in jeans and a blue shirt, as dem dey drive am to Stansted before e board di aircraft.

BBC never fit independently verify di video.

Im wife, Stella Assange, tweet thank you to im supporters "wey don mobilise for years and years to make dis come true".

Di deal - wey go see am plead guilty to one charge - dey expected to dey finalised for court for di Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, 26 June.

Di remote Pacific islands, wey be US commonwealth, dey much closer to Australia dan US federal courts for Hawaii or di continental US.

Agence France Press quote one spokesperson for Australia government wey say di case bin don "drag on for too long".

Im lawyer, Richard Miller, no gree comment wen CBS contact am. BBC don also contact im US-based lawyer.

Im and im lawyers bin don claim for long time say di case against am dey politically motivated.

For April, US President Joe Biden say e bin dey consider a request from Australia to drop di prosecution against Assange.

Di following month, UK High Court rule say Assange fit bring a new appeal against extradition to di US, wey allow am to challenge US assurances over how im prospective trial go dey conducted and whether im right to free speech go dey infringed upon.

After di ruling, im wife Stella tell reporters and supporters say make di Biden administration "distance itself from dis shameful prosecution".

Wikileaks, wey Assange found for 2006, claim to don publish over 10 million documents inside wetin US government later describe as "one of di largest compromises of classified information in di history of the United States".

Wetin Julian Assange go plead guilty to?

Di Wikileaks founder dey expected to appear for a US courtroom on di Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, according to court documents.

US prosecutors bin originally wan try di Wikileaks founder on 18 counts - mostly under the Espionage Act - over di release of confidential US military records and diplomatic messages related to di wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Inside statement wey list di 18 charges, back for 2019, US government accuse di Wikileaks founder of conspiring to break into US military databases to acquire sensitive information.

Assange deny di charges, e say di leaks na act of journalism.

But on Wednesday, Assange go only answer to one charge. As reported by BBC US partner, CBS News, Justice Department prosecutors don recommend a prison sentence of 62 months in custody following di guilty plea.

But Assange no go spend any time for US prison because, under di agreement, e will go dey credited for di approximately five years e spend for jailed for UK.

If dem bin convict am of di original 18 offences, Assange lawyers say e fit face up to 175 years in jail, although US government say a four to six years sentence dey more likely.

Wetin be di US charges against Julian Assange?

Julian Assange don agree to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

For years, the US government argue say di Wikileaks files - wey disclose information about Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endanger lives.

Dem indict am for US during di Trump administration and prosecutors originally bin wan try am on 18 counts.

Most of dem bin dey under di 1917 Espionage Act, wey mostly criminalise di mishandling of government records "relating to di national defense" of di US.

Press freedom advocates don argue say di law dey archaic and charging journalists under am set a dangerous precedent.

Wetin be Wikileaks and wetin dem don leak?

Since dem launch for 2006, Wikileaks dey known for publishing thousands of classified documents covering everything from di film industry to national security and wars.

For 2010, e publish one video from a US military helicopter wey show di killing of civilians for Baghdad, Iraq.

E also publish hundreds of thousands of documents leaked by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, wey dem arrest, imprison and later free.

Documents relating to di war for Afghanistan reveal how di US military bin kill hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents.

Further documents from di Iraq war reveal say 66,000 civilians na im dem kill - more dan bin dey reported. Di documents also show say prisoners bin dey tortured by Iraqi forces.

You fit read more about di mata here.

US government don continue to argue say di leaks put pipo lives at risk.

Timeline of Assange legal troubles
Dis na some of di key moments. Our timeline begin around di same time wey di ogbonge Wikileaks information come out.

*August 2010 - The Swedish Prosecutor Office issue arrest warrant for Assange on allegations of rape and one of molestation - claim wey e say dey "without basis"

*December 2010 - Assange dey arrested in London and bailed at di second attempt

*May 2012 - UK Supreme Court rule say make dem extradite am to Sweden to face questioning

*June 2012 - Assange enter di Ecuadorean embassy inside London. Ecuador later grant am asylum

*April 2017 - America attorney general say Assange arrest na "priority" for US

*May 2017- Sweden announce say dem dey drop di rape investigation into Assange after earlier dropping dia other investigations

*November 2018 - E dey revealed say di US Justice Department secretly filed charges against am

*April 2019 - Assange dey arrested for UK after di Ecuadorean government withdraw im asylum. Dem find am guilty of breaching the Bail Act and dem send am to Belmarsh Prison

*May 2019 - Assange dey sentenced to 50 weeks imprisonment. Dem continue to hold am after e serve di sentence

*January 2021 - Judge rule say Assange no fit dey extradited to di US

*December 2021 - US government win one bid to overturn di decision not to extradite Assange

*April 2022 - UK home secretary sign Assange extradition order after dem deny am permission to appeal di December 2021 ruling. For July, e appeal di latest extradition order

*June 2023 - Assange lose im latest extradition appeal bid

*May 2024 - UK High Court rule say e fit bring a new extradition appeal

*June 2024 - Assange dey granted bail and released from prison following negotiations with US authorities over a plea deal

Who be Julian Assange?

To im supporters, Julian Assange na campaigner for truth. To im critics, e be publicity seeker wey don endangere lives by putting plenti sensitive information for di public domain.

Dem born Assange for Townsville for di Australian state of Queensland for 1971 and e first become a father at 18.

For 1995, dem accuse am of dozens of hacking activities. Assange eventually plead guilty - e only escape a jail term on di condition say e no go do am again.

E also chook hand for di world of academia - co-writing one bestselling book on di emerging, subversive side of di internet, before studying physics and maths.

Assange set up Wikileaks for 2006 - making headlines around di world four years later with im high-profile disclosures of classified US documents.

Read more about di man behind di leaks here.


Julian Assange dey enter private jet