In a stunning turn of events, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to be released from prison after reaching a plea deal with the United States, according to court documents. The agreement will allow Assange to go free after serving five years in a British prison.

Assange, who has been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London since 2019, will plead guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents, according to the court filings.

The plea deal, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, outlines a sentence of 62 months, equivalent to the time Assange has already served in British prison while fighting extradition to the United States.

Assange's release marks the end of a years-long legal battle that began in 2010 when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of classified documents and diplomatic cables provided by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. The documents exposed sensitive information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Guantanamo Bay detainees, and U.S. diplomatic communications.

The U.S. government had sought Assange's extradition on charges of violating the Espionage Act and conspiring to hack into a government computer system. However, the plea deal allows Assange to avoid a lengthy prison sentence and return to his native Australia.

Assange's supporters have long argued that he is a whistleblower and journalist who exposed government wrongdoing, while critics have accused him of endangering national security and putting lives at risk.

The news of Assange's release has been met with mixed reactions, with some celebrating the end of his imprisonment and others criticizing the U.S. government for making a deal with the controversial figure.

Assange is expected to appear in a U.S. courtroom in the coming days to enter his guilty plea and finalize the terms of his release.