British judge approves Julian Assange’s extradition to US

The order comes after the UK Supreme Court last month refused Assange permission to appeal against a lower court’s ruling that he could be extradited.

A judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court issued the order in a brief hearing. Home Secretary Priti Patel will decide whether to grant the extradition.

The move doesn’t exhaust the legal options for Assange, who has sought for years to avoid a trial in the US on charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of a huge trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.

His lawyers have four weeks to make submissions to Patel, and can also seek to appeal to the High Court.