Why is Julian Assange flying to the remote Pacific island of Saipan?
SUMMARY
Julian Assange is flying to Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, to appear in a U.S. district court. He is expected to plead guilty to a single charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents. This plea deal will allow him to be released and return home to Australia after serving 62 months in a UK prison. Saipan was chosen because it is the closest U.S. territory to Australia, fulfilling the requirement for Assange to face charges under U.S. law without having to travel to the continental United States.
