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10 May 2006
British hacker Gary McKinnon has lost the first stage of his fight to avoid extradition to the US on hacking charges.
The decision was announced at Bow Street Magistrates' Court and McKinnon has said that he will appeal the verdict up to the highest court in the land. When he spoke to vnunet.com a fortnight ago he rated his chances at 50/50.
"I won't stand a chance in hell if I get extradited, because I will probably come under military order number one," he said.
"This means a secret military tribunal with a military lawyer, no rights of appeal, no rights of public comment and no press. It'll be Gary goes down a black hole and you don't see him again."
McKinnon was arrested in a joint operation between US and UK authorities in 2002. He was found guilty of hacking 97 US military computers between February 2001 and March 2002, causing damage estimated at $700,000 (£370,000).
McKinnon has always claimed that he did not intentionally cause harm, but was searching for information on UFOs that he believed the US government was suppressing. He claimed that he found hard evidence that UFOs exist.
Paul McNulty, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, described the McKinnon case as the "biggest military computer hack of all time".
It is now up to the Home Secretary to rule on whether McKinnon will be deported or whether he can face trial in the UK. If this decision goes against McKinnon, he can appeal to the High Court and then to the Law Lords.
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Do you agree?
This is wrong
The USA needs to stay out of the UK legal system. PERIOD. The USA has recently supported completely illegal methods of incarceration and torture. 9-11 did not carte blanche for the USA to take over the legal systems of any country it wishes to access.If the USA want to protect it's military THEN THEY NEED FIGURE OUT HOW TO CREATE PASSWORDS !!!!
Posted by: Anrnold 14 May 2006
Common sense needed
Gary obvously knew that what he was doing was illegal, finding the door open is no excuse for entering someones property whatever the rights and wrongs of what you do inside. But having said this it's not the Garry Mckinnon's of this world we ought to be locking up for life, it's the terrorist who does the same as him but with bad intent. So whatever setence is handed down to him, it should be tempered with our gratitued to him for pointing out these potentally fatal flaws in the American military security system; before the terrorists could access them.
Posted by: Paul Hullock 14 May 2006
Mckinnon
This has nothing to do with Blair or G. Dubya. Mckinnon must have known that he was doing wrong, no-one forced him to hack into the U.S. military did they? If you don't want to end up in court don't commit crimes - it's so simple!
Posted by: Peter Day 12 May 2006
Shocking security breaches
All these agencies had computers secured with the default password???? Who's in charge here. This should be made public. The retouching of NASA photos should be made public. The shear number of intruders he was able to identify online should be made public. Is there no accountability on the agencies end. Their lax security threatens all American citizens. I think those breeches in security are probably a greater threat than his intrusions. Let's not ubscure the issue!
Posted by: Bessee 12 May 2006
british justice
do any of you think he would get a better deal here ? It could be argued he was doing something that could beconstrued to be terrorist activity, and where would he be then.
Posted by: dennis 10 May 2006
A ready made scapegoat.
If I let my house front door open I wouldn't be surprised if someone walked in. I would be surprised if on being apprehended the law sent the offender to prison for thirty years or to Guantanamo. I forsee a huge injustice being done, and our Judiciary are going to be party to it if this man gets extradited. While I agree he shouldnt have done it, neither should he be made vulnerable to the American lust for revenge over 9/11 and the flawed system of punishment that passes for Justice in the USA.
Posted by: Dave 10 May 2006
Breakin the Law....
Its a sad world we live in today. Not due to the terrorists. Not due to the increase in crime. Its the shear number of people who feel that criminals should not be punished for their crimes. Uneducated, anarchist wannabes who say a person hacking into national security should not be punished are paving the way for more of the same...until its their PCs who get hacked and their families who are put at risk and their identities which are stolen...everything is OK. Its a simple world we live in : break the law, pay the price. Plead ignorance?pay the price. I have no sympathy for people who break the law whether it is something as simple as speeding or a terrorist act such as hacking (gov and non-gov hackers). If a law exists and you break that law ? pay the price. If you are man / woman enough to do the crime...be prepared to do the time. I am sick of all the crying from these people. The world used to be a better place. Lock em up, Johnny Law...lock em up
Posted by: Slough 10 May 2006
US wins extradition of British hacker McKinnon
If you don't like the heat stay out of the kitchen
Posted by: Evans 10 May 2006
US wins extradition of British hacker McKinnon
Has Tony Blair gotton so into bed with Dubya that he is prepared to subvert justice?. It seems that Bush wants to p;lay God and if it takes him to fabricate evidence to secure his position then so be it. It is too much of a coincedence that each and every one of the INSECURE computers which were hacked into is a major criminal offense and justifies locking up the individual and throwing away the key. There is no justification for hacking but neither is there any for Blair and Bush fiddling evidence to suit their political aims
Posted by: IAN 10 May 2006
this has got to stop
its time to mobilise ourselves and get behind gary. we are not a client kingdom to the fascist usa. if we let this happen its orange boiler suits for all who stand up to the nwo.
Posted by: neil wallworth 10 May 2006