Julian Assange has been released from prison and left Britain, WikiLeaks said, as he reached a landmark plea deal with US authorities that brought an end to his years-long legal drama. "Julian Assange is free," WikiLeaks wrote on X of its founder, who had been detained in Britain for five years as he fought extradition to the United States which sought to prosecute him for revealing military secrets. A charter plane flew Assange, 52, from London to Bangkok, where it had been scheduled to stop for refuelling. Since then Assange became a hero to free speech campaigners and a villain to those who thought he endangered US security and intelligence sources. - Extradition battle -WikiLeaks released a short video of Assange speaking with people in what appeared to be an office and then boarding a plane.