Julian Assange has been authorized for extradition from Great Britain to face spying charges in the United States, a decision he plans to appeal, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Assange for years has fought British courts over whether he should be sent to the U.S. to face 17 espionage charges for allegedly helping Chelsea Manning, a rogue U.S. Army intelligence analyst, steal and publish classified U.S. military documents.
The British courts first hinted in April that Assange could be on his way to a U.S. trial by kicking the decision to the U.K. government. The order was signed Friday by U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Despite Friday’s order, the case could drag on for several more months or years, legal experts tell the AP. Assange is housed at a high-security prison in London.
“We’re not at the end of the road here,” said wife Stella Assange. “We’re going to fight this.”