SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands —WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pled guilty to one charge of violating U.S. espionage law on Wednesday in a courtroom on the U.S. Pacific island territory of Saipan where he is expected to walk free after a deal with U.S. prosecutors.
Assange, 52, arrived at the court house in a white SUV. He was wearing a black suit and smiled as he walked past security with his team and Australia’s ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd.
Dozens of media from around the world gathered outside the courtroom to cover the proceedings. Media is not allowed inside the courtroom to cover the hearing.
Assange had agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
If the judge approves his plea, Assange is expected to return to his home in Australia, U.S. prosecutors have said.
Assange is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at the hearing.