British home secretary Alan Johnson said yesterday he cannot stop the extradition of a Briton wanted in the United States for hacking into Nasa and Pentagon computers.
Gary McKinnon was arrested in 2002 after US prosecutors charged him with illegally accessing computers, including at the Pentagon and Nasa and causing $700,000 worth of damage.
The US army's entire network of more than 2,000 computers in Washington was shut down for 24 hours in what US authorities called "the biggest military hack of all time."
But his lawyers argued that extraditing Mr McKinnon, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, would be detrimental to his health.
"I have carefully considered the representations in the case of Gary McKinnon," Mr Johnson said. "I am clear that the information is not materially different from that placed before the High Court earlier this year and does not demonstrate that sending Mr McKinnon to the US would breach his human rights."
The High Court had accepted that his extradition could have consequences for his health, but judges ruled that the process of the law overruled those concerns. The appeal then went to the Home Office.
"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," Mr Johnson said in a statement.
"If Mr McKinnon's human rights would be breached, I must stop the extradition. If they would not be breached, the extradition must go ahead," he said.
Reuters