WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to Australia on a charter jet, raising a celebratory fist as supporters cheered.

This followed his guilty plea to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors, concluding a long legal saga.

Assange credited Australian government intervention with saving his life in a call to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Upon arrival, he embraced his wife Stella and father John Shipton but avoided the media. Stella expressed gratitude on his behalf, noting his need for time to recuperate.

Assange’s activities, which included publishing war logs and diplomatic cables revealing U.S. military misconduct, garnered significant support from press freedom advocates, the Associated Press has reported.

The legal case concluded with Assange’s plea in a U.S. district court in Saipan, the Northern Mariana Islands, near Australia.

Assange shared with Albanese his anticipation of spending time with his sons, born during his self-exile in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy.

Written by B.C. Begley