Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has garnered substantial financial backing from donors to fund his journey to freedom, as uncovered by Alistair Milne, CIO of Altana Digital Currency Fund. As Assange gears up to return to Australia after a plea deal with US authorities, his wife Stella urgently appealed for donations to cover a hefty USD 520,000 debt owed to the Australian government for charter flights.

In an extraordinary act of support, an anonymous donor recently contributed over 8 BTC (about $500,000) to Assange’s cause. This significant donation, from a so-called “Bitcoin whale,” covers most of the necessary funds. The donation address, ‘bc1qsq,’ is the same as the one listed on Assange’s donation page, and Arkham Intelligence data traces the funds to a CashApp deposit from February 2023.

Additionally, more than £300,000 (around $380,000) has been collected through fiat currency donations.

Stella Assange explained that the chartered flights were essential because Assange was "not allowed to fly commercial airlines or routes to Saipan and onward to Australia." The journey involves a stop in Saipan, where Assange will appear before a US federal judge as part of his plea deal.

The significant financial support means that Assange is likely to arrive in Australia without debt, thanks mainly to the anonymous Bitcoin donor's generosity. This situation underscores Bitcoin's role in enabling swift, large-scale financial backing for prominent causes.

As Assange’s legal ordeal nears its end, the significant donations underscore the ongoing public interest in his case and supporters' willingness to aid his return home. The WikiLeaks founder is expected to travel to Canberra, Australia, after his court appearance in Saipan, concluding a prolonged legal battle spanning over a decade.