Julian Assange LATEST: WikiLeaks founder shares emotional embrace with wife Stella as he lands in Australia a free man in front of crowds of cheering supporters following 14-year legal saga

Daily Mail Australia's Max Aitchison reports Julian Assange's wife has revealed that he wants to swim in the ocean every day and teach their children to catch crabs as he touched down in Australia as a free man.

The WikiLeaks founder brokered a plea deal with the United States which saw him convicted of espionage in return for his safe passage to his home country.

Read Max's report here:

Anthony Albanese has shared a photo of him speaking to Julian Assange moments after the WikiLeaks founder landed in Australia.

Mr Albanese tweeted:

MailOnline reporters Miriam Kuepper, Nic White and Perkin Amalaraj have the story on Mr Assange's return to Australia to bring the curtain down on an epic 14-year legal saga spanning the US and the UK.

Assange touched down in the country's capital Canberra at 7.37pm local time (10.37am London time, 5.37am New York time), where he was reunited with his wife Stella.

As he saw his wife Stella for the first time, Assange hugged and kissed her before wrapping her in a tight embrace and lifting her up in the air.

Read their report here:

Now that Mr Assange has returned to Australia, let's recap how he got there and everything that has happened earlier today.

Here are the key takeaways:

We will continue to provide coverage throughout the day.

Anthony Albanese has said Mr Assange described his return to Australia as 'happy and surreal' following a phone call with him as soon as he touched down in Canberra.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken following Mr Assange's return to the country.

He said:

We can now bring you the moment Julian Assange swept his wife Stella off her feet before planting a passionate kiss.

The WikiLeaks founder shared an emotional embrace with his partner and mother of his two sons in Canberra.

See the video below:

These pictures show the emotional return of Julian Assange to his native homeland in Australia following an epic 14-year legal battle over the disclosure of classified documents.

The WikiLeaks founder was treated to somewhat of a hero's reception when he stepped off the plane at a Canberra airfield around 15 minutes ago.

We will bring you more reaction as and when we get it.

Julian Assange hugged and kissed his wife Stella after disembarking the jet.

He waved to supporters, who applauded and cheered loudly, as Mr and Mrs Assange looked emotional.

Supporters of Julian Assange joined press from Australia and abroad at the perimeter of Canberra Airport as he landed, one holding a sign saying “Thanks Julian”.

Here is one of the first pictures of Julian Assange after he stepped off the plane at Canberra.

Mr Assange walked down the steps of the plane before he shook hands with crew memebrs and then hugged several people waiting for him at the Canberra airfield.

He was also seen waving to the crowd who applauded him with cheers on his return.

Mr Assange has just exited the plane and was was greeted with applause as supporters clapped and cheered his arrival

We can now bring you pictures of the moment Julian Assange's plane touched down at a military base in Canberra just moments ago.

WikiLeaks has celebrated the arrival of Mr Assange in a tweet seconds after his jet touched down.

The WikiLeaks founder's jet has now landed in Canberra following a flight from Saipan.

Watch the moment Julian Assange lands in Australia with our live stream below.

We will continue to bring you updates and reaction as the WikiLeaks founder returns to his native homeland following a 14-year legal saga.

Julian Assange's wife Stella said she 'can't stop crying' after a US judge released her husband without probation, with the WikiLeaks founder due to arrive in his native Australia.

His wife Stella shared a picture of the WikiLeaks founder walking out of court on X and wrote: 'Julian walks out of Saipan federal court a free man. I can't stop crying.'

Read Nic White and Perkin Amalaraj's report here:

Stella Assange has told Australian media her husband wants to swim in the ocean 'every day' when he returns to Australia.

Ms Assange said the couple had spoken about what activities they want to do as soon as he touches down in his homeland.

See her interview below:

Journalists have assembled at a Canberra military base where Julian Assange will touch down on his return to Australia.

His wife Stella will be among those to meet him at the airport.

Stella Assange, the wife of Julian, has described how her 'very excited' sons are jumping around 'like two little balls' with their father due to land in Australia in less than an hour.

Speaking on a live stream operated by the Assange campaign, she said she was 'elated, excited and exhausted' as she prepares to meet her husband at Canberra airport.

She says their two sons, aged five and seven, are 'very, very excited.'

She added:

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is no hero and people may have died because of his actions, the former United States director of national intelligence has suggested.

James Clapper said Assange’s guilty plea to a felony charge is 'important to a lot of people'.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:

Asked if he thought there are people who are not alive today due to his behaviour, Mr Clapper said:

The political reaction in Australia to Julian Assange's case and return has been a mixed picture with some MPs celebrating his release, while others say he should not be worshipped.

Here's a flavour of the difference of opinion

James Paterson, a senator in Victoria who is the opposition spokesman for home affairs, told AAP

WikiLeaks has released a picture of Julian Assange speaking to wife Stella as he prepares to land in Canberra.

The company has scheduled a press conference in the capital for 12.15pm UK time.

Julian Assange's brother has said he will campaign for the WikiLeaks founder to be pardoned after he was convicted of espionage in a US court.

The conviction means Mr Assange is banned from entering the US and would require special permission for visits

Gabriel Shipton told the BBC:

Jennifer Robinson, a human rights lawyer who has represented Mr Assange for more than a decade, shared a picture of herself and the Wikileaks founder to say she can't wait to touch down in Australia.

Ms Robinson also represented Amber Heard in Johnny Depp's 2020 libel case against The Sun.

Anthony Albanese, Australia's Prime Minister, has addressed his country's parliament following the outcome of the Julian Assange case.

He said:

WikiLeaks, the publisher of leaked documents founded by Mr Assange, has scheduled a press conference in Canberra tonight.

The company has not specified whether Mr Assange will speak at the event or even be in attendance but takes place around a couple of hours after his arrival into the country.

Earlier, Wikileaks shared an image of Mr Assange embracing his lawyer Jennifer Robinson, moments after his plea deal was finalised.

After he was released from court, Mr Assange left Saipan on a private jet to the Australian capital Canberra, where he is expected to land around 7:30pm (10.30am UK time), according to flight logs.

The island is about six hours away from Australia by plane and was chosen as a location for Mr Assange's hearing owing to its proximity to his homeland.

Speaking to Reuters news agency in Canberra, his father John Shipton said:

See this video explainer below:

We can also bring you footage of the moment Mr Assange's 14-year legal saga came to an end of the US island of Saipan.

See the video below:

Here are some of the most striking photographs following Mr Assange's release from court on the island of Saipan.

During a three-hour hearing in Saipan, Mr Assange pleaded guilty to one criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defence documents but said he had believed the US Constitution's First Amendment, which protects free speech, shielded his activities.

He told the court:

Chief US District Judge Ramona Manglona accepted his guilty plea, noting that the U.S. government indicated there was no personal victim from Assange's actions

The judge said:

Firstly, let's recap what happened earlier as Mr Assange walked free from court after pleading guilty to a single espionage charge.

The WikiLeaks founder was released without probation or supervision after a hearing in a US federal court on the Pacific island of Saipan.

However, he is banned from entering the US ever again without permission from American authorities.

Read Nic White and Perkin Amalaraj's story here:

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Julian Assange's return to Australia following his release from a US federal court.

Mr Assange will arrive in his homeland 'a free man' after agreeing to a plea deal which has brought an end to his 14-year legal saga which has seen him incarcerated in a high-security prison and South American embassy in the UK.

The 52-year-old is expected to arrive in Canberra in the next hour and a press conference hosted by Wikileaks is taking place later on.

We will bring you all the latest updates on Mr Assange's return plus pictures, videos and the best reaction from social media.