UK Hacker Loses Latest Bid to Fight Extradition to US
A computer hacker who is accused of breaking into U.S. military systems in the wake of 9/11 has lost his latest attempt to forestall extradition to the United States.
Gary McKinnon has maintained that the extradition would violate British human rights laws because he is suicidal and suffers from Asperger’s syndrome.
But the U.K.’s home secretary, Alan Johnson, has said that while there are concerns about McKinnon’s health, U.S. authorities have assured Johnson that McKinnon’s medical needs would be met, the BBC reports.
The BBC reports that McKinnon, who resides in north London, has admitted hacking into 97 U.S. government computers, including those of NASA and the Pentagon, during 2001 and 2002.
If convicted, he could face up to 60 years in prison.
McKinnon’s lawyers have another week to appeal.
