Gary McKinnon, the man accused by US authorities of perpetrating the "biggest military computer hack of all time", was released on bail of £5,000 by Bow Street magistrates yesterday evening.

The British programmer is accused of causing $700,000 worth of damage by illegally accessing 58 computers at Nasa, the US army, US navy, Department of Defense and the US Air Force. If convicted he faces 70 years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000. 

McKinnon, who operated under the pseudonym 'Solo', claims that he accessed the systems to search for evidence that the US government had information on UFOs that was being covered up.

He was captured after Nasa sent a request for help to the UK's National High Tech Crime Unit. 

McKinnon has vowed to fight attempts to make him the first hacker to be extradited to the US. It is not clear exactly why the US authorities waited two and a half years to request the extradition. 

The case will resume on 27 July.

i-Kew blog: World's biggest hacker?

Security Watchdog blog: McKinnon madness