Here is ChatGPT’s summary. 

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested in 2019 at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had sought asylum since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault allegations that were later dropped. His arrest was primarily due to a U.S. extradition request on charges related to the publication of classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents in 2010, which included 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion [oai_citation:1,Assange and US Justice Department discussing guilty plea, report says | The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/julian-assange-justice-department-guilty-plea-b2516093.html) [oai_citation:2,Justice Dept. Quietly Negotiating Plea Deal For Julian Assange, Sources Say | SCNR](https://scnr.com/article/justice-dept-quietly-negotiating-plea-deal-for-julian-assange-sources-say_9908ee0de6ed11ee9c930242ac1c0002).

Over the years, Assange has been held in Belmarsh Prison in the UK while fighting extradition to the U.S., where he faced up to 175 years in prison. However, recent developments indicated that the U.S. Department of Justice was in discussions with Assange’s legal team about a possible plea deal. This deal would allow Assange to plead guilty to a lesser charge of mishandling classified information, a misdemeanor, potentially enabling him to avoid extradition and secure his release based on the time already served in the UK [oai_citation:3,US considering plea deal for Julian Assange if he admits guilt, according to ‘The Wall Street Journal’ | International | EL PAÍS English](https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-21/us-considering-plea-deal-for-julian-assange-if-he-admits-guilt-according-to-the-wall-street-journal.html) [oai_citation:4,Report: Assange in Plea Deal Talks](https://consortiumnews.com/2024/03/20/report-assange-in-plea-deal-talks/).

These negotiations culminated in Assange agreeing to a plea deal that allowed for his immediate release. The specifics of the deal included Assange admitting to the lesser charge, with the time he spent in prison counting towards his sentence, effectively setting him free without stepping foot in the U.S. [oai_citation:5,Assange and US Justice Department discussing guilty plea, report says | The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/julian-assange-justice-department-guilty-plea-b2516093.html) [oai_citation:6,Justice Dept. Quietly Negotiating Plea Deal For Julian Assange, Sources Say | SCNR](https://scnr.com/article/justice-dept-quietly-negotiating-plea-deal-for-julian-assange-sources-say_9908ee0de6ed11ee9c930242ac1c0002).

😅