Hacker loses extradition appeal

BBC
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

A Briton accused of hacking into top secret military computers has lost a Law Lords appeal against being extradited to stand trial in the US.

Gary McKinnon, 42, could face a life sentence if found guilty of gaining access to 97 American military and Nasa computers from his London home.

Glasgow-born Mr McKinnon has admitted breaking into the computers but said he was trying to find information on UFOs.

His lawyers said they would apply to the European Court to stop his removal.

Mr McKinnon first lost his case at the High Court in 2006 before taking it to the highest court in the UK, the House of Lords.

He was arrested in 2002 but never charged in the UK.

The US government claims he committed a malicious crime - the biggest military computer hack ever.

A statement by solicitors for McKinnon, who was not at the Lords to hear the judgement, said: "Gary McKinnon is neither a terrorist nor a terrorist sympathiser.

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