Julian Assange could now be just weeks away from being extradited to the United States after Priti Patel today signed an order agreeing to send him to Virginia to face espionage charges and potentially a 175-year jail sentence.
The Home Secretary has rubber stamped the order issued by a judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court to fly the WikiLeaks founder to America where he will be handed over to federal agents and put on trial.
Assange, who is currently held in the maximum security Belmarsh Prison in south-east London, has 14 days to appeal.
WikiLeaks today declared it is 'not the end' and pledged to go back to court to try to keep him in Britain, claiming today is a 'dark day for press freedom and British democracy' and accusing Ms Patel of choosing not to 'do the right thing'.
If any appeal is rejected in the coming weeks - or doesn't make it to court - then there will be no more obstacles preventing him from being flown to America, potentially in July.
His wife Stella Moris, who had two children with the fugitive while he was hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy and married him in Belmarsh in March, said today: 'The Home Secretary has approved sending Julian to the country that planned to murder him. We will use every avenue to appeal this decision. I will dedicate every waking hour to fight for justice until he is free'.
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