Julian Assange’s flight lands on US-controlled island Saipan ahead of his plea hearing with Wikileaks founder set to plead guilty to a single spy charge in return for his freedom after 14 years

Julian Assange’s plane has landed on the US-controlled island of Saipan ahead of his plea hearing.

The WikiLeaks founder has arrived on the remote Pacific island where his long-running campaign to avoid extradition to the United States will formally end and he will be a free man after fourteen years.

The 52-year-old’s flight, under the call sign VJT199, arrived on the island at 6.14am local time and within hours he will appear in court to plead guilty to one charge of espionage against him.

He will then fly to his native Australia to be reunited with his wife, two young sons and other members of the family.

The move follows his dramatic release from Belmarsh Prison in London, where he spent five years fighting extradition, largely in solitary confinement.

Assange will pay half a million dollars (£394,000) for a charter flight from Stansted, accompanied by a WikiLeaks lawyer, an Australian government representative and a doctor to monitor his health.

WikiLeaks has launched a fundraising campaign to pay for the flight.

Assange’s wife Stella said her relief at his release was mixed with anger that he had been in prison for so long.

She told the PA news agency that she had traveled to Australia with the couple’s two young sons, Gabriel and Max, on Sunday when it became clear that Assange would be released.

He will plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of obtaining and disclosing information of national interest, with a proposed prison term.

Speaking from Australia, Ms Assange told PA: ‘It’s hard to believe that Julian has been in prison for so long. It had become normalized. I’m grateful to the people who made this possible, but I’m also angry that it ever got to this point.

“Overall I’m excited, but I can’t believe it’s actually happening until I see Julian.”

Mrs. Assange said her husband’s release would not have happened without the intervention of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has been increasingly vocal in calling for the United States to drop charges against Assange.

“The public climate has changed and everyone understands that Julian was a victim,” she said.

‘It is still very sensitive. Julian is paying for the flight, so we’re going to start a fundraiser.”

She had a video call with her husband from Sydney and showed him pictures of the Opera House.

Mrs Assange revealed her husband had left Belmarsh in the early hours of Monday and spent several hours in Stansted before his flight took off.

In a High Court order, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson said Assange left the jurisdiction of England and Wales at 6.36pm on Monday, after the settlement was signed on June 19.

The judges added that “it is expected that a plea will be entered and accepted on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at which time the United States has agreed to withdraw the extradition request.”

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said a bail hearing for Assange was held behind closed doors on June 20.

Details of the hearing are shrouded in secrecy, with the CPS refusing to provide further information and court lists. The staff has no knowledge of it and cannot find any record of the event.

The PA has since established that the hearing took place at 4pm at Westminster Magistrates’ Court before the Chief Magistrate, Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring, who made a judicial decision for it to take place behind closed doors under the Criminal Procedure Rules and the Contempt of Court Act 1981. This means that no further information about the content of the hearing can be made public at this time.

John Sheehan, head of extradition at the CPS, said: ‘This has been a very complex case with Swedish and US authorities advised and represented. During this period, the CPS extradition unit has faced new and challenging legal issues. Mr. Assange has also taken advantage of every legal protection available to him.

“This has resulted in the facilitation of the arrangements necessary to enable Mr Assange to leave Britain legally and safely.”

Simon Crowther, Amnesty International’s legal adviser, said: ‘We welcome the news that Julian Assange is being released as we believe he should never have been imprisoned in this way in the first place.

“However, the fight to protect freedom of expression continues. The years-long global spectacle of the prosecution of a publisher for exposing alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations has undoubtedly caused historic damage.”

In a statement just after midnight on Tuesday on

The statement continued: ‘He … was released at Stansted Airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and left Britain.

“This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grassroots organizers, press freedom activists, lawmakers and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations.

“This opened the way for a lengthy period of negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice, which led to a deal that has not yet been formally finalized.”

A video posted by WikiLeaks to

He is then shown walking up the stairs to a Vista Jet aircraft.

Speaking about Assange’s release, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the country’s parliament on Tuesday: “we want him brought home to Australia.”

He said: ‘I have been very clear as Labor Leader and Opposition, but also as Prime Minister, that – regardless of people’s views on Mr Assange’s activities – the matter has dragged on for too long.

“There is nothing to be gained from his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia.”

Mr Albanese added that Australian diplomatic forces have “represented and advocated for Australian interests using all appropriate channels to support a positive outcome”, which he took on early in his role after taking office in 2022 Prime Minister was elected.

He added: ‘I will have more to say when these legal proceedings have concluded, which I hope will happen very soon, and I will report back at that time if necessary.’

A letter to US Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands Ramona V Manglona, ​​as seen by PA, also confirmed that Assange plans to return to Australia once the proceedings are completed.

The WikiLeaks statement also thanked “all those who supported us, fought for us and remained fully committed to the fight for his freedom.”

It read: ‘After more than five years in a 2×3 meter cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.

“WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories on government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid heavily for these principles and for the people’s right to know.

“As he returns to Australia, we thank everyone who supported us, fought for us and was fully committed to the fight for his freedom. Julian’s freedom is our freedom.’

In a separate post on X, Ms Assange said: ‘Julian is free!!!!

“Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU ​​– yes YOU, who have all mobilized for years to make this happen. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.’

Assange’s father John Shipton told PA he felt “elated” upon hearing the news of his son’s dramatic journey from Britain and that his release had lifted “an enormous burden” from his family.

He said recent court hearings in Britain had given him hope that the “tide was turning” in his son’s favor, and pressure from the Australian government was increasing.

Speaking from Australia, he said he hoped his son would spend time “walking the beaches and listening to birds” in the coming weeks and months.

Assange’s mother, Christine Assange, told Australia’s Sky News that she is “grateful” that her son’s ordeal is “finally coming to an end.”

She said: ‘This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy. Many have used my son’s situation to push their own agenda, so I am grateful to those invisible, hardworking people who put Julian’s well-being first.

“The past fourteen years have obviously taken a heavy toll on me as a mother, so I would like to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy.”

Assange was embroiled in a protracted legal battle in Britain over his extradition, entering the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 and living there before being imprisoned in Belmarsh Prison.

In a January 2021 ruling, then-District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Assange should not be sent to the US, citing a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues.

Later that year, US authorities won a Supreme Court bid to overturn this block, paving the way for Assange’s extradition.

Assange was due to bring his own challenge to the High Court in London in early July, having recently been given the green light to challenge the original judge’s dismissal of parts of his case.

His release from prison comes days before his 53rd birthday next Wednesday (July 3).