Stella Assange now talks about the legal process that saw Julian Assange leave the UK - remember, he had been in a British prison for more than five years, as he fought extradition to the US.

She says her "interpretation" is that a "breakthrough" came when the High Court in London began to consider his constitutional protections under the freedom of the press.

"That's when we saw a breakthrough in relation to an agreement between the parties."

Stella Assange explains to Mishal Husain that she is "limited" about what she can say about the agreement in principle with the US Department of Justice.

But she confirms the deal includes Julian Assange pleading guilty to one charge, relating to the Espionage Act.

Asked if he will be a free man, Stella Assange says again it has to be signed off by a judge in the Northern Mariana Islands.

"Once the judge signs off on it, then it is formally real," she says.

Stella Assange says there is an "an agreement in principle between Julian and the Department of Justice".

But she says this still has to be signed off by the judge in the Northern Mariana Islands - which, remember, is a US territory in the south Pacific.

Stella Assange tells the Today programme she is "elated - frankly it's just incredible, it feels like it's not real".

Speaking to the BBC from Australia, she says it has been a whirlwind of emotions.

Asked about the last couple of days, she says it has been "touch and go" - adding that the last 72 hours have been "non-stop".

Our colleagues on BBC Radio 4 are about to speak to Julian Assange's wife, Stella.

Watch and listen live by pressing play at the top of the page - and we'll have all the key lines here.

Image source, Reuters

We're about to hear from Julian Assange's wife, Stella, on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme - you can listen live by pressing play at the top of the page.

In the past half hour, she has posted a photo on X showing a video call from Sydney with her husband as he left the UK on Monday.

In the caption, she said the photo, showed "Julian calling into Sydney from Stansted airport last night (his daytime)."

Image source, Stella Assange/X

We earlier brought you some reaction from the Australian public to Julian Assange's release, which was largely positive.

Now let's bring you a different persepctive.

Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer says "most people" in Australia do not see Assange as a journalist.

“We can now… say he was guilty of a very serious offence," he tells the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“Most people in Australia would agree it’s not appropriate to steal national security information and publish it - governments have to have some degree of privacy in their communications."

He adds: “I don’t think many Australians have sympathy for him. Just because he’s Australian doesn’t mean he’s a good bloke.”

Image source, Getty Images

Assange's plane touched down at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport at around 12:30 local time (05:30 GMT, 06:30 BST), according to a report by news agency AFP.

The plane will be resupplied and refuelled before flying off to Saipan island in the Northern Mariana Islands - a US territory in the south Pacific. It's expected to depart at 21:00 local time and reach Saipan island early on Wednesday.

This video shows the moment his plane landed in Thailand.

Julian Assange has reached a deal with US authorities that will see him plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act.

The Wikileaks founder is expected to appear in a US courtroom on the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, according to court documents.

US prosecutors originally wanted to try Assange on 18 charges, mostly under the Espionage Act, over the release of confidential US military records related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a statement outlining the 18 charges, back in 2019, the US government accused the Wikileaks founder of conspiring to break into US military databases to acquire sensitive information.

Assange denies the charges, saying the leaks were an act of journalism.

But come Wednesday, Assange will only answer to one charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents, according to court filings.

As reported by the BBC's US partner, CBS News, Justice Department prosecutors have recommended a prison sentence of 62 months in custody following the guilty plea.

But Assange would not spend any time in a US prison because, under the agreement, he will be credited for the approximate five years he spent jailed in the UK.

If he had been convicted of the original 18 offences, Assange's lawyers said he could face up to 175 years in jail, although the US government said a four to six years sentence was more likely.

Image source, PA Media

In the early hours of the morning in the UK, Wikileaks posted a statement on X. Here are the key lines:

• Julian Assange left Belmarsh prison on the morning of 24 June after spending 1901 days there
• He was granted bail by the High Court in London and left the UK from Stansted Airport
• The statement says Assange's release is "the result of a global campaign" which "created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice"

Residents in Sydney are reacting to the news that Julian Assange has left UK prison, with one saying he had "gone through hell", adding that he was "very happy [that Assange] is coming back to Australia".

Another said that although he believed Assange had committed “very serious breaches”, he had "served his time".

Nomia Iqbal
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

Julian Assange’s guilty plea is expected to be finalised on Wednesday in a rather unique venue - a US district court in the Mariana Islands, a US territory in the south Pacific.

In a letter by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the implication is that Assange doesn’t trust coming to the US for his plea deal. It says he is unwilling to return voluntarily to the continental USA. Assange has a deep distrust of the US government, going so far as to accuse officials of allegedly plotting to kill him.

Also logistically the islands make sense because they are close enough to Australia. They are located about 2,000 miles (3,200km) away - and the DOJ says it expects him to return to his native country soon after he enters his plea deal.

Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who have been leading a bipartisan group of politicians on Capitol Hill pushing for Assange's release, have put out statements.

“I don’t think Julian Assange broke espionage laws. I don’t think he should have been charged in the first place,” McGovern wrote on X.

“I worry this plea deal sets a bad precedent. But I’m glad this ordeal is over so he can finally return to Australia to be with his family & focus on his health,” he added.

Massie described Assange’s “liberation” as “great news” but said “it’s a travesty that he’s already spent so much time in jail. Obama, Trump, & Biden should have never pursued this prosecution.”

Assange supporters around the world have started celebrating news of his potential release, but those close to him have cautiously noted that it's not a done deal until the judge in the Northern Mariana Islands signs off tomorrow.

In its statement earlier, WikiLeaks described the agreement as having "not yet been formally finalised."

And Assange's wife Stella has stressed that it's been difficult for his family to "plan or even play out the next few hours and days" given how quickly things are moving.

However the court filing concerning his case does indicate that Assange should be a free man soon, barring any last minute legal complications.

Image source, REX/Shutterstock

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made his first comments about Assange's potential release, while speaking in parliament on Tuesday.

As we reported earlier, he gave us more details on the diplomatic assistance Assange is being given by Australian officials as he makes his journey to the Northern Mariana Islands for his court appearance tomorrow.

He also hinted at years of advocacy and high level diplomacy that have been taking place behind the scenes.

"We have engaged and advocated Australia's interest using all appropriate channels to support a positive outcome and I have done that since very early on in my prime ministership," he said.

"I will have more to say when these legal proceedings have concluded, which I hope will be very soon, and I will report as appropriate at that time."

Earlier this year, Australia's parliament passed a measure - backed by Albanese - calling for the return of Assange to Australia.

Image source, Reuters

Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

For years, the US government argued that the Wikileaks files - which disclosed information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endangered lives.

He was indicted in the US during the Trump administration and prosecutors originally wanted to try him on 18 counts.

Most of these were under the 1917 Espionage Act, which broadly criminalises the mishandling of government records "relating to the national defense" of the US.

Press freedom advocates have argued that the law is archaic and charging journalists under it sets a dangerous precedent.

Albanese has confirmed that Australia's UK High Commissioner Stephen Smith accompanied Julian Assange when he departed London on Monday.

He added that Australia's US Ambassador Kevin Rudd is also on hand and providing Assange with "important assistance" ahead of his court appearance in the Northern Mariana Islands tomorrow.

"I have been a very clear...that regardless of the views that people have about Julian Assange and his activities, the case has dragged on for too long," Albanese said.

"There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him [brought] home to Australia."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking now about Julian Assange.

He says he wants the Wikileaks founder brought back home to Australia as soon as possible.

Stay with us as we bring you more of his comments.

To his supporters, Julian Assange is a valiant campaigner for truth. To his critics, he is a publicity seeker who has endangered lives by putting a mass of sensitive information into the public domain.

Assange was born in Townsville in the Australian state of Queensland in 1971 and first became a father at 18.

In 1995, he was accused of dozens of hacking activities. Assange eventually pleaded guilty - only escaping a jail term on the condition that he not reoffend.

He also dabbled in the world of academia - co-writing a bestselling book on the emerging, subversive side of the internet, before studying physics and maths.

Assange set up Wikileaks in 2006 - making headlines around the world four years later with its high-profile disclosures of classified US documents.

Read more about the man behind the leaks here.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani tells the BBC he is "shocked" that a plea deal has been arranged for Julian Assange.

“These type of time-served deals don’t happen," Rahmani says, adding that credit was due to the Wikileaks founder and his lawyers for holding out for so long.

He adds that Assange being let off with what will be perceived as a slap on the wrist after such serious leaks of classified documents will likely be a "head-scratcher" for many Americans.