[Infowarrior] - Britain OKs Hacker's Extradition to U.S.

[Richard Forno]

Britain OKs Hacker's Extradition to U.S.
http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8IMMQJ81.html
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By BETH GARDINER Associated Press Writer

July 06,2006 | LONDON -- Britain's top law enforcement official on Thursday
approved the extradition to the United States of an alleged computer hacker
accused of damaging U.S. military systems.

Gary McKinnon, 40, has two weeks to appeal the order, signed Tuesday by Home
Secretary John Reid, the Home Office said.

A judge ruled in May that McKinnon, who has been indicted in New Jersey and
northern Virginia, should be sent to the United States to face trial. The
decision required Reid's approval. His office said he was not convinced by
the arguments McKinnon raised in his defense.

McKinnon said he planned to appeal, telling British Broadcasting Corp.
television "I am very worried and feeling very let down by my own
government."

He is accused of illegally accessing 97 computers, causing at least $700,000
in damage in the largest attack on the U.S. government's computer networks,
U.S. government attorneys told a British court.

Court records in Virginia allege McKinnon caused up to $900,000 in damage to
computers, including those of private companies, in 14 states.

McKinnon, an unemployed computer system administrator who lives in London,
has said he did not intend to cause damage, but was seeking evidence that
America is concealing the existence of UFOs.

But Judge Nicholas Evans said he left messages on one system protesting U.S.
foreign policy.

"U.S. foreign policy is akin to government-sponsored terrorism," Evans
quoted one such note as saying.

McKinnon was arrested in 2002. He opposed extradition, claiming he could
face prosecution under U.S. anti-terror laws.

He is accused of hacking into U.S. government computers including a system
at the Pentagon between February 2001 and March 2002.

He allegedly accessed a network of 300 computers at the Earle Naval Weapons
Station in Colts Neck, N.J., and stole 950 passwords.

The alleged break-in occurred shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and
shut down the whole system for a week, Evans said. The station is
responsible for replenishing the Atlantic fleet's munitions and supplies.

It is up to officials in New Jersey and Virginia to decide where McKinnon
will be tried.

If convicted of the charges in New Jersey, McKinnon faces a maximum sentence
of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, U.S. Attorney
Christopher J. Christie said when the indictment was disclosed.

Although McKinnon was able to view sensitive details about naval munitions
and shipbuilding on the U.S. computer systems, he did not access classified
information, an investigation found.

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