WASHINGTON, June 26, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The United States has banned Julian Assange from returning unless he is granted permission, the justice department said Tuesday, as the Australian native was freed in a US territory and boarded a plane for Canberra.

"Pursuant to the plea agreement, Assange is prohibited from returning to the United States without permission," a Department of Justice statement said of the WikiLeaks founder, who has been embroiled in a years-long international legal drama after publishing thousands of secret US documents in 2010.