Julian Assange pleads guilty for leaking America's national secrets Banned from returning to US without permission

Julian Assange has been released after admitting to leaking US national security secrets, concluding a 14-year legal battle.

The WikiLeaks founder left a courtroom in Saipan in the US Northern Mariana Islands and received a 62-month time-served sentence for unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to national defence, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

His lawyer, Jen Robinson, hailed the outcome as a historic day for Assange, who can now go home a free man. This agreement resolves the longstanding fight to prosecute Assange, stemming from the public release of sensitive US military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 and 2011.

While Assange will not face a lengthy prison sentence due to the plea deal factoring in his time spent in a UK prison, WikiLeaks is raising funds to cover additional expenses he must pay.

Following his release, it is uncertain whether Assange will meet with Australian government officials upon returning to Canberra. However, his lawyer recognized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his support.

Assange was accused of assisting Chelsea Manning in obtaining around 750,000 classified documents, leading to one of the largest breaches of state secrets in US history.

Assange's legal saga dates back to the Swedish rape investigation that triggered his years on the run, with the US criminally charging him in 2019 under the Trump administration.

After taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Assange was arrested in 2019 and detained in London's Belmarsh prison during his fight against the US charges.