Gary McKinnon loses extradition battle

Gary McKinnon, a British hacker known for hacking into Pentagon and NASA systems, has lost his fight to avoid extradition to the United States. A London court rejected his request for a retrial, which could result in a 60-year prison sentence in the US. McKinnon, who suffers from autism, has become a symbol of the controversy surrounding extradition law. His mother is appealing for leniency, pointing out that extradition could have dire consequences for his mental health. Opponents of extradition, including prominent figures, emphasize that a trial in the US would be cruel.

Gary McKinnon, the British hacker famous for hacking into the Pentagon and NASA websites, has lost a court battle to avoid extradition to the U.S. The 43-year-old autistic man, obsessed with UFOs, could face up to 60 years in prison.

A London court ruled there were no grounds to halt the extradition process to the US, despite two appeals for a retrial. "We are devastated. If the law allows for destroying someone's life in this way, then it's a bad law," Janis Sharp, the mother of the 43-year-old hacker, complained after the verdict.

The court has ruled to dismiss the claim by Keir Stramer, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, to hold the eccentric hacker's trial in the UK. However, both McKinnon's lawyers and his family have announced they will not give up. The hacker's mother has already appealed to Barack Obama for leniency and a pardon for her son.

"Stand with us and let's make this world a better, more compassionate place," she urged. "Obama wouldn't want that. He wouldn't want the first person extradited for computer abuse to be an autistic person obsessed with UFOs. Obama wouldn't want that," the distraught mother lamented.

The hacker's lawyers emphasize that extradition and imprisonment in US custody could have disastrous consequences for the 43-year-old McKinnon's psyche. However, the authorities are merciless. "I have no right to stop his extradition. The court has made this clear," said Alan Johnson, British Home Secretary, today. "McKinnon is accused of serious crimes, and the US has every right to seek his extradition, just as we do when we want to punish people who break our laws," the minister added.

McKinnon admitted to hacking into the Pentagon and NASA websites. He left a message on the Defense Department website, saying, "I will continue to disrupt." The cost of repairing the Pentagon's computer system and implementing additional security measures exceeded $700,000. However, the eccentric hacker's defenders, grouped under the banner "Free Gary," including Bob Geldof and Sarah, wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, warn that McKinnon's trial in the US would be "sheer cruelty."