After spending years in a British prison, the former Australian hacker and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has left the U.K., reportedly having agreed to a plea deal with authorities in the U.S.

Assange (pictured) had been wanted by U.S. authorities after famously publishing hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as a huge number of often sensitive diplomatic cables. He was later charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information in what was called “one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.”

Assange’s odyssey saw him holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London where he claimed asylum. It was believed if he left the premises he would likely be arrested and extradited to the U.S., where there was a good chance he’d spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison. After seven years in the embassy, British police arrested him in 2019, after which the U.S. fought for his extradition.

The issue of whether Assange should be freed or extradited was an international cause célèbre for well over a decade. Free speech and human rights activists often said Assange had only acted as a journalist in exposing uncomfortable truths regarding war and foreign policy, while his detractors said his leaks put lives at risk.

A video today showed the older-looking and rather portly Assange boarding a plane at London’s Stansted airport. After a plea of guilty, he’s now a free man and will return to his home country of Australia having paid for his crime with the time he’s already served.

Julian Assange boards flight at London Stansted Airport at 5PM (BST) Monday June 24th. This is for everyone who worked for his freedom: thank you.#FreedJulianAssange pic.twitter.com/Pqp5pBAhSQ

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 25, 2024

“This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organizers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations,” Wikileaks wrote on X. “This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Assange’s wife, Stella, also took to X, where she thanked everyone who over the years has protested for her husband’s release. Mr. Assange has barely been seen by the public since his British incarceration, with rumors circulating that at times his health took a dip. It’s highly likely his face is once again about to become a regular feature in our lives as media, as the world of podcasts that has sprouted since he’s been lost in prison wrestle for his story.

Photo: Wikileaks/X