British hacker loses U.S. extradition appeal

Reuters ^ | 7/31/2009 | Luke Baker

[james500]

A Briton wanted in the United States for breaking into NASA and Pentagon networks in "the biggest military hack of all time" lost an appeal against his extradition Friday, making a U.S. trial more likely.

Gary McKinnon, 43, has fought a three-year battle to avoid extradition, including going to the European Court of Human Rights, but he appeared to have run out of options as Britain's High Court ruled against his latest appeal Friday.

The court rejected arguments by McKinnon's lawyers that extraditing McKinnon, who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, would have disastrous consequences for his health, including possible psychosis and suicide.

Judges also dismissed his calls for a judicial review of the case. Lawyers had challenged a refusal by Britain's chief prosecutor to allow McKinnon to be tried in Britain, which would have avoided any need for extradition.

...

Members of the British media and family and friends have waged a lengthy campaign to try to prevent McKinnon's extradition. His mother was angry at the latest setback.

"It's a disgrace, and they should be highly embarrassed," Janis Sharp told reporters outside the court. "This is from the Bush era, it is hold-over from the Bush era."

President Barack Obama "would not want this to happen," she said.

[james500]

The articles usually omit this gem that McKinnon admits to leaving on a Pentagon computer a few months after the 9/11 attacks:

"US foreign policy is akin to government-sponsored terrorism these days... It was not a mistake that there was a huge security stand-down on September 11 last year... I am SOLO. I will continue to disrupt at the highest levels."

[Venturer]

This guy damaged the Pentagon and Nasa security features and broke into their computers. This woman is probably right, President Obama would probably congratulate him.

[BwanaNdege]

"who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome,

How convenient! /sarc

[HiTech RedNeck]

Shut down 2000 Pentagon computers? I suppose we can thank Bill Clinton for letting the DOD hook up a lot of stuff to the public internet willy nilly.

Oh, I’d also guess these were Windows boxes, not a UNIX (Linux was still primitive) or OS/2 in the lot. Thanks Bill Gates....

[HiTech RedNeck]

I wouldn’t necessarily think that’s a lie or put-on. Asperger’s is what gave Bill Gates the single mindedness that pressed him on to greatness, but it also blinded him to stuff he just didn’t want to see. Like the fact that his wondrous Windows was sealed about as tight as a sieve.

[uncommonsense]

"extraditing McKinnon, who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, would have disastrous consequences for his health"

The UK's "free" health care was really on top of things with this man. Delusional and determined, he wanted to bring down the military operations of the only superpower and the only institution willing to fight for freedom, not just for the USA, but also for undeserving rouge nations who allow tyranny to reign over them.

[Vanders9]

"It's a disgrace, and they should be highly embarrassed," Janis Sharp told reporters outside the court. "This is from the Bush era, it is hold-over from the Bush era." President Barack Obama "would not want this to happen," she said.

That is so wrong, on so many levels. Firstly whoever is in the whitehouse has no effect on the wheels of justice, or it shouldnt have. Why should the Pentagon be embarrassed at prosecuting an illegal access into its computer systems? I'd want to prosecute someone who hacked into mine. In fact, I'd want to have them hung drawn and quartered. The issue is simple. Did this man illegally hack into a secured computer system or not? If he did, is there any medical reason he should not be extradited? Answers, yes and no.

[james500]

Is Asperger’s syndrome something that you can do a blood test to screen for or do you need to rely on an intuitive individual to ask the subject some questions in order to make a diagnosis?

[Doohickey]

This isn’t a forum to feed your psychosis, tool.

[Prodigal Son]

I don’t even undertand how it is possible for somebody to hack into the Pentagon’s system. Why don’t they have security? It isn’t security if someone can hack right in. They should be paying guys like this to figure out ways to keep guys like himself out.

Like that ‘Catch Me If You Can’ guy. Wound up working for the FBI (after he did his time, obviously).

[B-Chan]

McKinnon claims to have discovered documents during his hacks indicating that the U.S. government has a secret military space force using advanced technology.