News

Julian Assange Spends $500,000 Flying To Remote Island To Avoid Coming To U.S. After Plea Deal

Julian Assange spent $500,000 to fly to a remote island after taking a plea deal with the U.S. government and being freed from prison.

The WikiLeaks founder was freed from U.K. prison on Monday morning, where he was being held on a charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. The 52-year-old released classified reports on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on his site, according to court documents.

Assange flew from London Stansted Airport to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, a flight that cost him half a million dollars. On Wednesday, he had a U.S. federal court hearing from the island, where he pleaded guilty to the charge.

The leaker reportedly refused to step foot on the American mainland and chose to fly to the tropical island due to its proximity to Australia, where he is from. He is said to have wanted a U.S. territory close to Australia. 

The deal came as a surprise after Assange’s extradition to the U.S. had been approved years earlier. The Australian government had pressed for a resolution of the case which has dragged on for years.

After pleading guilty, Assange flew home with his five years in prison counting as time served. His wife, Stella Assange, said it has been a “rough few years” for the couple.

Ava Lombardi

Recent Posts

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Caught Slamming His Team In Viral Live TV Moment: ‘We F— Suck!’

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was caught criticizing his team on a live TV broadcast following…

1 hour ago

VIDEO: Hurricane Rafael Topples Stadium Floodlight Pylon Toppled in Cuba

https://youtu.be/0Ajjle4Kmq4 Dramatic footage shows winds from Hurricane Rafael toppling floodlights at a baseball stadium in…

2 hours ago

VIDEO: Road Worker Narrowly Dodges Truck On New York Highway

https://youtu.be/zv6oTyRE18w A road worker narrowly missed being hit by a truck in upstate New York…

3 hours ago

Brian Austin Green Tells Tori Spelling He ‘Doesn’t Recall’ First Time He Slept With Her

Spelling further recalled that the two then started kissing, and Green interrupted, “Wait, what? I…

3 hours ago

Influencer Matt Choi Banned From NYC Marathon For Having 2 Cameramen On E-Bikes Follow Him During Race Endangering Runners

While Choi’s behavior in the race was rightfully admonished, his honest apology serves as a…

5 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Jennifer Lopez Should Have Warned The Public About Ex Sean Combs

Combs and Lopez were romantically involved between 1999 and 2001.

6 hours ago