Julian Assange free live: Wikileaks founder boards flight out of UK after reaching US plea deal

Labour Party MP Julian Hill said Australia-born Assange’s “health is fragile” and he should not be judged for accepting a guilty plea deal with the US Justice Department in order to return home.

“No one should judge Julian for accepting a deal to get the hell out of there and come home. His health is fragile,” Mr Hill said. “Whatever you think of Assange he is an Australian and enough is enough.”

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Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, who has been lobbying for the United States to end its prosecution of Julian Assange, told parliament that an Australian envoy had flown with Assange from London. “Regardless of the views that people have about Mr Assange‘s activities, the case has dragged on for too long.

“There’s nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia,” Mr Albanese added.

Mr Albanese is being applauded for his relentless efforts in lobbying for release of Mr Assange while the previous Australian government treaded on the issue cautiously.

Before becoming the prime minister, Mr Albanese also suggested that he did not see what purpose was served by keeping Assange jailed. It became the official stance of the government when he came to power in 2022.

Stella Assange, Julian Assange’s wife, has shared a screenshot of a phone call with her husband.

She said “Julian calling into Sydney from Stansted airport last night (his day time)”.

In a previous post, she said: “Julian is free”.

“Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true”.

The mother of Julian Assange said that she is grateful that her son’s “ordeal is finally coming to an end” after the Wikileaks founder was released from UK jail.

Mr Assange’s father said the news was “wonderful” and “energising”.

“I am grateful that my son’s ordeal is finally coming to an end,” his mother, Christine Assange, said in a statement.

“This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy.”

She blamed many individuals who “have used my son’s situation to push their own agendas”.

She added that she was “grateful to those unseen, hard-working people who put Julian’s welfare first”.

“The past 14 years has obviously taken a toll on me as a mother, so I wish to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy,” she said.

His father, John Shipton, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the breakthrough was “wonderful”.

“It is energising,” Mr Shipton said.

“I don’t fade easily, you know – and neither does Julian. It must be a family trait.”

Breaking the news of Julian Assange’s release from a UK prison, Wikileaks said their founder will soon reunite with his family, including his children, who have only known their father from behind bars.

“Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there,” the organisation said in a post.

“This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations,” it added.

The post said that he lived in a 2×3 metre cell and was isolated 23 hours a day for five years.

“As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom. Julian’s freedom is our freedom,” it said.

The plane believed to be carrying Julian Assange will depart for Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, from Bangkok.

The chartered flight VJT199 landed afternoon at Don Mueang International Airport, north of the Thai capital, for a refueling stop, reported the Associated Press.

Mr Assange is expected to return to his home country of Australia after his plea and sentencing.

The 52-year-old Australian was catapulted into the global spotlight in 2009 after he and his site WikiLeaks were linked to one of the largest publications of classified information in American history.

Along with Chelsea Manning, a military intelligence analyst, Assange was accused of disclosing tens of thousands of activity reports about the war in Afghanistan.

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According to a new filing from the DOJ, proceedings in the Mariana Islands are due to take place on Wednesday morning, where Assange will plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information. He is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at a hearing on the island of Saipan at 9am local time.

The charges against Assange in the US stem from one of the largest publications of classified information in American history, which took place during the first term of Barack Obama’s presidency.

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A plane believed to be carrying Julian Assange from the UK has just landed in Bangkok on its way to Saipan.

The first pictures of the aircraft have been released by the Associated Press.

The Wikileaks founder is set to appear in a court in Saipan in the Western Pacific at 9am local time on Wednesday.

It comes as the 52-year-old Australian transparency activist has agreed to plead guilty to a charge under the Espionage Act in exchange for avoiding further imprisonment.

The agreement marks an end to 14 years of legal struggles for the Wikileaks founder, who repeatedly drew the ire of Western officials for exposing government secrets.