U.K. Approves Extradition Of WikiLeaks Founder Assange To U.S.

Julian Assange faces 18 charges in the U.S. for publishing a trove of classified documents that exposed military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The British government on Friday ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges — a milestone, but not the end of the decade-long legal saga.

WikiLeaks said it would challenge the order, and has 14 days to lodge an appeal.

Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the order authorizing Assange's extradition to the U.S., where he faces charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of a huge trove of classified documents.