NEW YORK, June 26. /TASS/. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's plea deal hearing has begun in a courtroom on the US Pacific island territory of Saipan, Reuters reported.

Australia’s 9News broadcaster said earlier that Assange had arrived at court accompanied by Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd.·

The Associated Press points out that dozens of media workers from all over the world have gathered near the court building to cover the hearing. However, no journalists are allowed in the courtroom.

In 2019, Assange, an Australian citizen, was placed in Britain's Belmarsh prison after being removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London. For more than five years, Washington has been seeking the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder from Britain to the United States, where he is accused of crimes related to the largest case of disclosure of classified information in American history.