A British computer hacker accused by the United States of breaking into military and government networks has won more time in his fight against extradition, his lawyer said today.
Gary McKinnon (44) who says he was trawling for evidence of aliens and secret technology, could be jailed for up to 70 years if he is convicted for what US officials have described as the "biggest military computer hack of all time".
His lawyer Karen Todner said she has successfully lobbied Home Secretary Theresa May to reconsider the US extradition request. "[The minister] wishes to have appropriate time fully to consider the issues in the case," Ms Todner said in a statement.
She says Mr McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, is too ill to be sent for trial in the United States. She has asked senior judges to review a ruling by former home secretary Alan Johnson that McKinnon is fit to be extradited and that it would not breach his human rights.
The government has agreed to delay that review, due to be held next week at the High Court, and Mr McKinnon will stay in Britain for the time being.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The home secretary has considered the proposal from Gary McKinnon's legal team and has agreed an adjournment should be sought. An application to the court is being made today [Thursday]."
McKinnon was arrested in 2002 after US prosecutors charged him with illegally accessing computers, including systems at the Pentagon and Nasa, and causing $900,000 worth of damage.
They say he deleted files, copied passwords and forced the closure of a government computer network in Washington, leaving 2,000 workers without internet and email access for three days.
Mr McKinnon later told Reuters that he just wanted to find out whether aliens really existed. He became obsessed with looking through large military data networks for any proof that they might be out there.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said the case raises "serious questions" about the extradition treaty between Britain and the United States. His deputy Nick Clegg has campaigned for McKinnon to be tried in a British court.
Reuters