Julian Assange, the Australian publisher and activist who founded WikiLeaks, gained worldwide attention in 2010 by leaking thousands of confidential U.S. military and diplomatic documents that exposed government lies, apparent war crimes, and spying activities. This led to a global controversy and diplomatic issues for the U.S. Assange faced legal troubles when Sweden tried to extradite him over rape allegations, which he claimed were a setup to get him to the U.S. He sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy, but in 2019, he was arrested by British authorities. The Swedish charges were dropped, but the U.S. charged him with violations of the Espionage Act. He has been detained in a British prison for the past five years, but there is now a potential for his release as he has reached a tentative plea deal with the U.S. government.