Julian Assange flies out of UK on 0,000 private jet after being freed in US plea deal

Julian Assange flies out of UK on $500,000 private jet after being freed in US plea deal

Published

1 year ago

June 25, 2024

admin

Julian Assange is travelling to his native Australia on a private jet after US authorities agreed to drop their demand for the WikiLeaks founder to be extradited from the UK having struck a plea deal with him.

Assange had to pay $500,000 (£394,000) for a chartered flight from Stansted to Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands – a US commonwealth in the Pacific – where he will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

In exchange he will be sentenced to time served – the 62 months he has already spent in a British prison – according to court documents.

Once the guilty plea has been accepted by a judge, the 52-year-old will be free to return to Australia, the country of his birth.

The chartered flight stopped in Bangkok for refuelling on its way to Saipan.

Assange is accompanied by a WikiLeaks lawyer, a representative of the Australian government and a medic to check on his health.

American prosecutors had alleged Assange put lives at risk when he helped former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files WikiLeaks put online in 2010.

He had been locked in a legal battle in the UK over his extradition, which included him entering the Ecuadorean Embassy in London in 2012 prior to his detention in Belmarsh prison – where he has been since May 2019.

‘Julian is free!’

In a post on X, WikiLeaks said Assange left Belmarsh on Monday morning after being granted bail by the High Court. By the afternoon he was at Stansted Airport where he boarded a plane and left the UK.

“After more than five years in a 2×3 metre 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,” the organisation said.

Mrs Assange shared on social media a video montage of her husband in a car and then boarding a plane.

She wrote: “Julian is free!!!!

“Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU – yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.”

She posted on X to say Assange will owe $520,000 to the Australian government for the charter flight and asked for donations to help pay for it.

Speaking from Australia, Mrs Assange told the PA news agency: “It is hard to believe that Julian has been in prison for so long. It had become normalised. I am grateful to the people who made this possible but I am also angry that it ever came to this.

“Overall I am elated but I cannot believe it is actually happening until I see Julian.”

Mrs Assange said her husband would not have been released without the intervention of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has been increasingly vocal in his demands for the US to drop charges against Assange.

“The public climate has shifted and everyone understands that Julian has been the victim,” she said.

“Things are still very sensitive. Julian is paying for the flight so we will launch a fundraising campaign.”

She said she had travelled to Australia with the couple’s two young sons, Gabriel and Max, on Sunday when it became clear Assange would be freed.

WikiLeaks shared an update on Assange’s journey on X, posting a picture of him on a jet as it approached Bangkok for a stopover.

Assange’s plea and sentencing on Saipan are scheduled for Wednesday morning local time (Tuesday evening UK time).

The hearing is taking place in the US Commonwealth territory because of Assange’s opposition to travelling to one of the 50 US states and the court’s proximity to Australia.

Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told Sky News this morning the WikiLeaks founder is “overwhelmed to be out of prison”.

Mr Shipton added: “He’s been on a plane for a very long time now… I’ve been speaking to him this week and just going through all the details with him.

“He’s been very anxious, very excited, and he’s looking forward to spending time with his family and being free, being able to have the sun shining on his face, see the birds, go for a swim in the ocean back in Australia.

“He’s very much looking forward to that.”

Craig Murray, a friend of Assange, told Sky News the news was “absolutely wonderful”.

He said: “The whole family is totally elated that we have finally got an end to this terrible saga.”

Mr Murray said the entire ordeal has been “very taxing” on Assange with his imprisonment taking a toll on both his physical and mental health.

He added: “We are lucky that he is a very resilient man and he will recover and we will get our Julian fully back.”

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

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

A more than decade-long fight

Assange has been fighting extradition to the US for more than a decade.

In a January 2021 ruling, then district judge Vanessa Baraitser said he 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 High Court bid to overturn this block, paving the way towards Assange’s extradition.

In June 2022, the UK government approved the extradition of Assange to the US, with then home secretary Priti Patel having signed the extradition order.

Why has the US dropped the extradition demand?

The US formally asked the UK to extradite Julian Assange to face charges that he conspired to hack government computers and violated an espionage law in 2019.

After five years, this request has been dropped, with the US having come to a plea deal with the WikiLeaks founder – but why now?

Former CIA chief of staff, Larry Pfeiffer, says it is not unusual for these sorts of espionage cases to be adjudicated through plea deals.

“In these sorts of cases justice may not be the only issue that needs to be dealt with,” he told Sky News.

Mr Pfeiffer said if the case ever went to trial it would have risked “sources and methods” that the US military and government use being exposed.

“[This case] also served as a thorn in UK-US relations and US-Australian relations,” he added.

“It was creating issues surrounding what we all love, which is liberty and freedom of the case. By resolving this we resolved some of those troublesome issues.”

Mr Pfeiffer says overall he thinks the plea deal is a “win, win”.

In February of this year, he made one final attempt under UK law to avoid being sent to the US.

In March, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson dismissed most of Assange’s legal arguments – but said unless assurances were given by the US, he would be able to bring an appeal on three grounds.

These assurances were that Assange would be protected by and allowed to rely on the First Amendment – which protects freedom of speech in the US – that he would not be “prejudiced at trial” due to his nationality and the death penalty would not be imposed.

Three months later, in May, two High Court judges ruled he would be allowed to appeal against being extradited, would not face the death penalty and he could rely on the First Amendment if he faced a trial for spying.

The Australian government said it continues to provide consular assistance to Assange.

“Prime Minister Albanese has been clear – Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration,” a spokesperson said.

US

Four killed in latest US strike on alleged drug boat

Published

40 mins ago

December 5, 2025

admin

Four killed in latest US strike on alleged drug boat

Four people have been killed in the latest US strike on an alleged drug boat amid growing unease at the legality of the attacks.

The small vessel, which was hit in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, is the 22nd destroyed by the US military on suspicion of drug trafficking.

It is the first such attack after a pause of nearly three weeks.

At least 87 people have now been killed during Donald Trump‘s “war” with drug cartels, which has also seen vessels targeted in the Caribbean Sea, including near Venezuela.

Video of the strike shows a small boat moving across the water before it is suddenly hit by a large explosion.

The boat is then seen engulfed in flames and billowing smoke as the camera zooms out.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, US Southern Command described those killed as “four male narco-terrorists“.

“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific,” the post said.

The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro‘s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans.

The socialist leader has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.

Venezuela has said the boat attacks amount to murder – and that President Trump’s true motivation is to oust Mr Maduro and access its oil.

It comes as an investigation in Washington DC has started looking into the very first strike on an alleged drug boat on 2 September in international waters near Venezuela.

On that occasion, US navy admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley is accused of ordering a follow-up strike to kill the survivors.

This reportedly followed demands from defence secretary Pete Hegseth that the navy “kill them all”.

The admiral briefed politicians in a series of closed-door briefings at the US Capitol on Thursday, and denied there was any such order from Mr Hegseth.

Mr Hegseth said the admiral “made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat”.

But speaking on Air Force One last Sunday, the president said he was unaware of the second strike and would not have wanted it, though he backed Mr Hegseth.

A video of the 2 September strike, which killed 11 people, has been shown to politicians, but accounts of its contents split along party lines.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said the survivors were “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight”.

His party colleague, representative Rick Crawford of Arkansas, issued a statement saying the strikes were legal.

But representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said: “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.

“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel.”

They “were killed by the United States”, he said.

Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, echoed his account.

He said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water – until the missiles come and kill them”.

Likewise, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the video, and called for it to be made public.

“This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration’s military activities,” he said in a statement.

👉 Tap here to follow Trump100 wherever you get your podcasts👈

Even if the campaign against the suspected drug-trafficking boats had been authorised by Congress, ex-military lawyers said the strike against survivors would be a war crime if the military knowingly killed survivors.

Attacks on combatants who are incapacitated, unconscious or shipwrecked are forbidden by the defence department’s law of war manual – provided the survivors abstain from hostilities and do not attempt to escape.

Firing upon shipwreck survivors is cited as an example of a “clearly illegal” order that should be refused.

US

Donald Trump may get the one thing he craves more than anything today

Published

40 mins ago

December 5, 2025

admin

Donald Trump may get the one thing he craves more than anything today

Which global leader has been the most frequent visitor to the Oval Office during Donald Trump’s first year back in power?

Not a head of state. But Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA.

The boss of world football’s governing body was back in the White House this week, and sport wasn’t even on the agenda.

And yet it still came back to football and today’s World Cup draw – even after the signing of a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mr Infantino was picked out in the audience as Mr Trump diverted from trumpeting ending another conflict to boasting about World Cup ticket sales.

“A great leader in sports and a great gentleman,” the US president said.

So it’s certainly not just Mr Infantino dishing out the flattery. But there is plenty of that, aligning himself with the MAGA agenda going back into the first term.

“Together we will make not only America great again,” he said in January, “but also the entire world”.

There is often bemusement when Mr Infantino pops up wherever Mr Trump is – from a Saudi-backed financial conference in Miami to an official visit to Saudi Arabia and the Gaza peace summit in Egypt.

There isn’t a non-American with such prominent proximity to the presidency. And it’s being used to shortcut decision-making for the World Cup, with direct access to the most powerful man on Earth to help smooth the tournament’s delivery.

Mr Infantino knows how to chime with Mr Trump’s talking points, recently telling critics to lay off the president because he has a mandate from winning the 2024 election.

“We should all support what he is doing because I think he is doing pretty good,” Mr Infantino said.

For a man who was largely known a decade ago for drawing balls for the Champions League, the ascent to the peak of power has been rapid and only made possible by scandals knocking out presumptive leaders.

It will be a draw on Friday that cements this unlikeliest of bonds when the World Cup schedule is determined at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

So much has been done to flatter Mr Trump, to pander to his passions.

The one thing he craves more than anything is a peace prize.

And after missing out on the foremost, illustrious Nobel version – despite an endorsement from Mr Infantino – FIFA created its own to hand out on Friday without any announced process for nominations or selection.

And if there is one song to indulge Mr Trump with it is the unlikely YMCA. The 1970s disco group Village People have been hired for the draw ceremony.

Expect the Trump dance. Expect the unexpected. Expect uneasy moments as Mr Trump takes centre stage alongside Mr Infantino.

How freewheeling will the presidential address become?

And is it all too political, even for a football organisation rarely untouched by politics?

It has created awkward moments when Mr Trump has been disparaging towards Democrat-run cities attacked for not being safe.

“Gianni, can I say we will move (matches)?” Mr Trump asked on live TV in the Oval Office.

“I don’t think you’re going to have this problem. But we’re going to move the event to some place where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.”

Usually FIFA dismisses questions about moving World Cup venues this late on, but Mr Infantino responded in part: “Safety and security is the number one priority.”

Usually, FIFA would be working to ensure all fans can attend its tournament, but the governing body is not dissenting against the block on visitors from Iran and Haiti.

The rhetoric of Mr Trump – framed around security – collides with FIFA’s idealism about uniting the world through football, with everyone being welcome.

And this is not just about the US. For the first time this is a World Cup being co-hosted by three nations, even if Mr Infantino has paid more visits to just one of them.

But the leaders of Canada and Mexico are due at the draw here in DC.

They’ll hope the football ceremony provides some respite from Mr Trump’s threats of a military strike on Mexico over drugs or deepening the trade war with Canada.

There is a peace prize to award, after all.

A celebration of all things Donald Trump.

And at some point, the teams will discover they will be drawn to play at the tournament next summer.

Because with Gianni Infantino it has to come back to football, the whole purpose of his role.

Even if his political alliances can seem more prominent than what happens on the pitch.

US

Which global leader has visited Oval Office most? The answer might surprise you

Published

7 hours ago