British government will not intervene to prevent extradition of computer hacker to US

UK gov’t will not stop extradition of hacker to US

LONDON — The British government said Thursday it will not prevent the extradition of an autistic hacker accused of breaking into U.S. military computers.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he will not intervene in the case of Gary McKinnon, who is accused by U.S. prosecutors of hacking into computers shortly after the Sept. 11 2001 attacks.

McKinnon claims he was searching for evidence of alien life. His lawyers have argued that he has a form of autism and is at risk of suicide if extradited, but Johnson said he did not believe that was a valid reason for stopping legal proceedings.

“Due to legitimate concerns over Mr. McKinnon’s health, we have sought and received assurances from the United States authorities that his needs will be met,” Johnson said in statement.

McKinnon has offered to plead guilty to a hacking charge in Britain in order to avoid extradition, but prosecutors here turned it down, saying the U.S. is the proper venue for a trial.

The case has attracted significant attention in Britain, where it has been a touchstone for debate about the country’s fast-track extradition treaty with Washington — signed in the wake of Sept. 11 — and wider U.S.-British relations.

Britain’s High Court ruled last month that McKinnon should be extradited but his lawyers had hoped that the government would intervene.

McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp, said the government had made a “cruel and miserable decision.” She said his lawyers would now seek a judicial review, in which a judge would decide whether the government has followed the correct procedures in assessing McKinnon’s case.