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full screenAssange at the security checkpoint at the Mariana Islands court, which is a US territory in the Pacific Ocean. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko/AP/TT
Espionage-accused WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has arrived at an American court in the Northern Mariana Islands, which is a territory in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the United States.
The 52-year-old will be freed after admitting to spreading classified information and agreeing with the US Department of Justice.
On the main island of Saipan, he will plead guilty to illegally receiving and disseminating classified national defense information, the US Justice Department said in a court filing.
According to the agreement, Assange is expected to be sentenced to five years and two months in prison, which corresponds to the time he has already been imprisoned in the UK.
The document states that the US expects Assange to return to his home country of Australia after his appearance in court.
At 10.30pm on Tuesday, he landed on the island group after a long flight from London, having left a British prison on Monday.