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Gary McKinnon fails in latest bid for extradition
British hacker Gary McKinnon, who is charged with breaking in to a number of NASA computers, has failed in his latest appeal against exradition to the United States.
He is accused of hacking into 97 US military and NASA computer during 2001 and 2002, deleting critical files, causing $700,000 worth of damage and rendering the infrastructure of a US Naval base inoperable after the September 11th attacks. At the time, none of these systems had a password system or firewall.
McKinnon maintains that he was looking for evidence of a cover-up regarding extra-terrestrial life. His family have been campaigning for him to be tried and sentenced here in the UK as he is a sufferer of Aspergers Syndrome.
Mr McKinnon is subject to automatic extradition with no evidence required, under the terms of a treaty signed between Britain and the United States following the 9/11 attacks.
“Gary was arrested in March 2002 before the extradition treaty came in to being, so how on earth is he subject to it?” McKinnon’s mother Janis Sharp asked the Daily Record after his appeal was denied.
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“Gary denied the damage, but admitted the computer use – without the damage, it wasn’t an extraditable offence. So what did the Americans do? They waited until 2005, when they could extradite him without a scrap of evidence.”
Bl**dy americans - yet another case of "one rule for them, another for the rest of the world". I will lose complete faith in our government if this guy gets extradited - we already have enough evidence around us that america is driving UK policy making and getting away with murder because of it and I am heartily sick of it !
Even I belive in evidence and innocent until proven guilty, it seems uncle Sam doesn't
No firewall and no password policy? Couldn't really call it hacking then could you? If I left my front door open for a few nights, with all my stock on show, I could hardly claim 'breaking and entering' when all and sundry call in for a poke about. I have a duty to my insurance company to secure it. Pure Disneyland !
Contrary to what Fidel Castro is suggesting, McKinnon has NOT yet been found guilty, and under US law will of course be assumed innocent until proven gulity, and he will have his day in court.Perhaps he does not want tp go, because he knows there is proof he is guilty.
As for it being claimed that we had no extradition treaty with the USA before 2005, that is absolute rubbish. In 2005 the existing treaty was amended, as it has been before, and will be again.As for suggesting that the US system has no firewall of password, that is pure defensive hype, and is totally unbelievable, because the US military leads the world in system security.
Hackers are a menaceand cost others, often the taxpayer millions. If he is guilty, I have no sympathy for him whatsover, and hope the Americans throw the book at him. That will be a good warning to others.
It's a pity our courts don't give our any meaningful sentences any more, so there is no fear of punishment. No wonder he would prefer to be tried here.
