Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in US Deal

WikiLeaks Founder's Saga Comes to an End

Sentencing Set for 9am on Saipan Island

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing classified information, resolving a years-long international saga. The deal was announced on Monday and will result in Assange serving 62 months of time already served. Assange, who is currently held in a London jail, will be sentenced at a hearing on the island of Saipan in the Pacific on the same day. The plea deal brings an end to a prolonged legal battle that began with Assange's arrest in 2010 for allegedly hacking into US government computers. Assange has been fighting extradition to the United States ever since, arguing that he would not receive a fair trial. The US government has accused Assange of conspiring with former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak classified documents. The plea deal is a significant development in the case and could potentially lead to Assange being released from prison. However, it is unclear whether the US government will seek to extradite him to face charges in the United States.