[WikiLeaks] A London court has ruled Julian Assange can be extradited to the US. So what happens now?

Julian Assange is a step closer to being extradited to the United States to face charges of conspiring to hack government computers and of violating espionage law. 

It comes after the US government won its appeal in London's High Court against an earlier ruling, which determined the WikiLeaks founder should not face extradition due to his mental condition.

Here's what could happen next.

US prosecutors and Western security officials regard Assange as an enemy of the state whose actions endangered the lives of agents whose names were in the material he is accused of leaking.

US authorities say more than 100 people were put at risk by the disclosures, with some fleeing their home countries with their spouses and families to move to the United States or another safe country.

Assange is facing up to 175 years in prison over the 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over the leaks.

However, the US government said in its appeal that a sentence of between three and six years was more likely.

Put simply, Judge Timothy Holroyde — who presided over the case — said the US had given assurances to the United Kingdom about Assange's detention.

ABC News / WikiLeaks