Julian Assange's brother has revealed the WikiLeaks founder could move 'to the Australian bush' to 'rest and recover' following his release from Belmarsh prison.
Gabriel Shipton says 'now is the time' for his sibling to rest and 'have a bit of quiet life for a while' in the backwoods or hinterland areas in his native country.
A plea deal with US authorities over spy charges means the 52-year-old is apparently a free man.
Court papers filed by the US Justice Department show Assange is scheduled to appear in federal court to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information.
WikiLeaks published footage of Assange being driven from Belmarsh jail in London, where he has been detained for five years, to Stansted Airport. He then boarded a private jet that landed in Bangkok, Thailand to refuel.
![Julian Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton has revealed the WikiLeaks founder could move 'to the Australian bush' to 'rest and recover' following his release from Belmarsh prison](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86531653-13566363-image-a-5_1719300311010.jpg)
Julian Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton has revealed the WikiLeaks founder could move 'to the Australian bush' to 'rest and recover' following his release from Belmarsh prison
![Video posted to X by WikiLeaks showed Assange, seated and dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, discussing the text on a sheet of paper](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86531655-13566363-image-a-2_1719300284137.jpg)
Video posted to X by WikiLeaks showed Assange, seated and dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, discussing the text on a sheet of paper
Assange has been a wanted man since 2010 when WikiLeaks released hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents on Washington's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - the largest security breaches of their kind in US military history - along with swathes of diplomatic cables.
Mr Shipton told Sky News: 'I think now is the time for him to rest and really recuperate, be with his family and have a bit of a quiet life for a while.'
Pressed on where that quiet life would be and where home is, he added: 'Hopefully somewhere quiet and out of the way where he can go outside and feel the sun on his face and be in the Australian bush or something like that.
'So that he can have a chance to really rest and recover and spend some time with us. It will just be nice to enjoy a meal with him when he is back home in Australia.'
Assange will return to Australia after his plea and sentencing, scheduled for tomorrow morning local time in the Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific.
The official WikiLeaks account said Assange was granted bail by the High Court in London and released from Belmarsh Prison yesterday morning 'after having spent 1,901 days there'.
Video posted to X by WikiLeaks showed Assange, seated and dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, discussing the text on a sheet of paper.
He is then shown walking up steps onto a Vista Jet aircraft.
![Stella Assange](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86530383-13566363-Stella_Assange-a-22_1719301140959.jpg)
![Kristinn Hrafnsson](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86530385-13566363-Kristinn_Hrafnsson-a-21_1719301140783.jpg)
Stella Assange and WikiLeaks chief Kristinn Hrafnsson speaking outside Belmarsh prison in a pre-recorded video
![On Tuesday morning, Stella shared an image on X of her husband video-calling her from Stansted airport on Monday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86531173-13566363-On_Tuesday_morning_Stella_shared_an_image_on_X_of_her_husband_vi-a-21_1719300577125.jpg)
On Tuesday morning, Stella shared an image on X of her husband video-calling her from Stansted airport on Monday
![Assange, who has been sought for over a decade over allegations he hacked the US government, today left HMP Belmarsh in London and flew out of the country on a flight from Stansted at 5pm today](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86522001-13566363-Assange_who_has_been_sought_for_over_a_decade_over_allegations_h-a-23_1719300586855.jpg)
Assange, who has been sought for over a decade over allegations he hacked the US government, today left HMP Belmarsh in London and flew out of the country on a flight from Stansted at 5pm today
![A plane, understood to be carrying Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, is pictured on the tarmac at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok today](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86529189-13566363-A_plane_understood_to_be_carrying_Wikileaks_founder_Julian_Assan-a-22_1719300582774.jpg)
A plane, understood to be carrying Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, is pictured on the tarmac at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok today
Speaking on Assange's release, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the nation's parliament on Tuesday 'we want him brought home to Australia'.
He said: 'I've been very clear as both the Labour leader and opposition, but also as prime minister that - regardless of the views that people have about Mr Assange's activities - the case has dragged on for too long.
'There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia.'
A letter to the United States chief judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands Ramona V Manglona, as seen by the PA news agency, also confirmed Assange intends to return to Australia once proceedings conclude.
The WikiLeaks statement also thanked 'all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom'.
It said: 'After more than five years in a 2x3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.
'WikiLeaks published ground-breaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people's right to know.
'As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom. Julian's freedom is our freedom.'
In a separate post on X, Mrs Assange said: 'Julian is free!!!!
'Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. tHANK YOU. THANK YOU.'
Assange's mother, Christine Assange, told Australia's Sky News that she is 'grateful' her son's ordeal is 'finally coming to an end'.
She said: 'This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy. Many have used my son's situation to push their own agenda, so I am grateful to those unseen, hard-working people who put Julian's welfare first.
'The past 14 years have obviously taken a toll on me as a mother, so I wish to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy.'
Reacting to the plea deal, Alexander Downer, the former foreign secretary of Australia, told BBC Radio 4 Today on Tuesday morning: 'This is an appropriate way, I think, for it to be brought to an end.
'The plea bargain is such that Julian Assange has admitted his guilt in this case to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, which is an extremely serious offence.'
![WikiLeaks in 2010 released hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents on Washington's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86522035-13566363-WikiLeaks_in_2010_released_hundreds_of_thousands_of_classified_U-a-24_1719300595648.jpg)
WikiLeaks in 2010 released hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents on Washington's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
![He spent the last 12 years years in prison or holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86522037-13566363-He_spent_the_last_12_years_years_in_prison_or_holed_up_in_the_Ec-a-25_1719300600223.jpg)
He spent the last 12 years years in prison or holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London
![According to a document filed in federal court (pictured), Assange will plead guilty to the single charge of hacking](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/25/08/86522583-13566363-According_to_a_document_filed_in_federal_court_pictured_Assange_-a-26_1719300604054.jpg)
According to a document filed in federal court (pictured), Assange will plead guilty to the single charge of hacking
The former high commissioner to the UK added: 'I don't think we should walk past the fact that this is a very serious charge he's admitted to so in that sense it's no doubt appropriate.
'He's admitted his guilt now... that's part of the plea bargain. So the fact is we can now satisfactorily say he was guilty of a very serious offence.'
When asked about how some people will give him a heroes welcome in Australia, he responded: 'Most people don't in Australia [think that he fought to get the truth as a journalist]. A tiny minority of very vocal people see that he was a journalist, their claim is... that he was just reporting information. But he has been found guilty of a much more serious offence than that.
'And I think most people in Australia would agree that it's not appropriate to steal national security information and publish it.
'Governments have to have some degree of privacy in their communications... and by the way, he didn't just release information relating to Iraq and Afghanistan... but he released a huge amount of information, much of which was very embarrassing and some of which endangered lives.
'So what he did was a criminal offence and it was a terrible thing to do morally as well, endangering people's lives in that way, is just completely inappropriate. I don't think many Australians have sympathy for him, no. Just because he was Australian doesn't mean he's a good bloke.'