Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have gathered outside a high-security London courthouse, where a judge has begun hearing a U.S. extradition case against him.
The courtroom showdown starting Monday comes a decade after WikiLeaks infuriated American authorities by publishing a trove of classified military documents.
American authorities want to try Assange on espionage charges that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
U.S. prosecutors say he conspired with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and release secret files about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A final decision on extradition is not expected for months or even years.
(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
