Extradition hearing for WikiLeaks' Assange to be split in two parts

The hearing to decide whether WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange can be extradited from Britain to the United States will be split into two, with the second half delayed until May, a British judged ruled on Thursday.

Following applications from Assange's legal team and lawyers representing the United States, Judge Vanessa Baraitser at Westminster Magistrates' Court agreed that the hearing would start on Feb. 24 for a week, with the remaining three weeks taking place from May 18.