Gary McKinnon, the British computer hacker who cracked open the Pentagon and NASA systems in the US, has lost his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and could face immediate extradition to the US to stand trial.
His lawyers indicated on Thursday night that they were urging the UK home secretary to allow McKinnon to stand trial in the UK as he had recently been diagnosed as suffering from Asperger’s syndrome.
McKinnon, 42, from Bounds Green, north London, who has been described in the US as the biggest military hacker of all time, faces a series of charges in the US in connection with hacking activities that took place nearly 10 years ago. He is alleged to have broken into 53 US Army, 26 US Navy and 16 NASA computer systems and to have caused US$700,000 in damage to the systems, in which he left disparaging messages about their security arrangements.
LOST APPEAL
He lost his appeal against extradition in the UK House of Lords, the UK’s highest court of appeal, following a hearing last month in which it was argued that if he were to stand trial, it should be in the UK. He was granted a temporary stay by the European court on Aug. 12 after applying to it for “interim relief.” The temporary stay was lifted on Thursday.
“The offenses for which our client’s extradition is sought were committed on British soil and we maintain that any prosecution of our client ought therefore to be carried out by the appropriate British authorities,” his lawyer, Karen Todner, said on Thursday. “Our client faces the prospect of prosecution and imprisonment thousands of miles away from his family in a country in which he has never set foot.”
‘WORRYING TREND’
Todner added: “Our client’s case highlights a worrying trend where UK citizens are at the mercy of the ever-increasing tendency of overseas prosecutors to extend their jurisdiction to crimes allegedly committed in this country.”
As McKinnon had been diagnosed as suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, she was writing to UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, inviting a prosecution in this country.
James Welch, legal director of Liberty, said: “It is a shame that the court of human rights will allow his extradition even as they consider whether US extradition measures were fair.”
McKinnon, 42, was inspired as a teenager in 1983 by the film WarGames, in which a teenager hacks into the Pentagon system. He started hacking into US military and space computer systems because he believed they contained information about UFOs.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS