Bangkok, 25 June

A plane with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange departed Bangkok after refuelling on Tuesday and he is on the way to Saipan to enter a plea deal with the US government that will free him and resolve the legal case over the publication of a trove of classified documents.

The chartered flight from London that Assange's wife, Stella, confirmed was carrying her husband left Don Mueang International Airport, according to the Flightradar24 plane tracking app. Airport officials told The Associated Press the plane was scheduled to continue on to Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Pacific, where Assange is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

He's expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information, according to the US Justice Department in a letter filed in court.

Assange is expected to return to his home country of Australia after his plea and sentencing. The hearing is taking place in Saipan because of Assange's opposition to travelling to the continental US and the court's proximity to Australia, prosecutors said.