Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to US criminal charges as part of a deal that allows him to go free, according to US media reports.

Assange, 52, was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

For years, the US has argued that the Wikileaks files – which disclosed information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – endangered lives.

He has spent the last five years in a British prison, from where he has been fighting extradition to the US.

According to CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Assange will spend no time in US custody and will receive credit for the time spent incarcerated in the UK.

Assange will return to Australia, according to a letter from the justice department.