01:20Julian Assange was seen arriving for his landmark plea deal hearing at a US district courthouse in Saipan on Wednesday morning local time.
Footage shows the WikiLeaks founder with former Australian PM Kevin Rudd, as the two exited their car and walked past the media into the building.
Assange left Belmarsh prison on Monday evening London time after reaching a plea deal with the US, boarding a plane at Stansted Airport.
The location of the hearing in Saipan - the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth - was chosen reportedly due to its proximity to Australia and Assange's own opposition to travelling to continental United States.
Assange is expected to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain and disclose US national defence documents, with the sentence to reflect time served in Belmarsh - and return to home to Australia.
The WikiLeaks founder has been detained in London since 2019, and fought a long-running extradition battle with the US over 18 charges related to the release of classified documents.
He was initially granted political asylum by Ecuador in London in 2012 but was dragged from the embassy by UK police seven years later.
Judgement day - Assange arrives at US district courthouse in Saipan for landmark plea deal hearing
Julian Assange was seen arriving for his landmark plea deal hearing at a US district courthouse in Saipan on Wednesday morning local time.
Footage shows the WikiLeaks founder with former Australian PM Kevin Rudd, as the two exited their car and walked past the media into the building.
Assange left Belmarsh prison on Monday evening London time after reaching a plea deal with the US, boarding a plane at Stansted Airport.
The location of the hearing in Saipan - the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth - was chosen reportedly due to its proximity to Australia and Assange's own opposition to travelling to continental United States.
Assange is expected to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain and disclose US national defence documents, with the sentence to reflect time served in Belmarsh - and return to home to Australia.
The WikiLeaks founder has been detained in London since 2019, and fought a long-running extradition battle with the US over 18 charges related to the release of classified documents.
He was initially granted political asylum by Ecuador in London in 2012 but was dragged from the embassy by UK police seven years later.
Julian Assange was seen arriving for his landmark plea deal hearing at a US district courthouse in Saipan on Wednesday morning local time.
Footage shows the WikiLeaks founder with former Australian PM Kevin Rudd, as the two exited their car and walked past the media into the building.
Assange left Belmarsh prison on Monday evening London time after reaching a plea deal with the US, boarding a plane at Stansted Airport.
The location of the hearing in Saipan - the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth - was chosen reportedly due to its proximity to Australia and Assange's own opposition to travelling to continental United States.
Assange is expected to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain and disclose US national defence documents, with the sentence to reflect time served in Belmarsh - and return to home to Australia.
The WikiLeaks founder has been detained in London since 2019, and fought a long-running extradition battle with the US over 18 charges related to the release of classified documents.
He was initially granted political asylum by Ecuador in London in 2012 but was dragged from the embassy by UK police seven years later.