McKinnon Extradition Delayed as U.K. Officials Consider Evidence

Gary McKinnon, a hacker charged with breaking into Pentagon computers, has had his extradition to the United States put on hold again as British officials weigh psychiatric evidence.  

According to the BBC, the British Home Office has agreed to consider the evidence about McKinnon’s medical condition. McKinnon has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, and has stated publicly he hacked U.S. military and NASA computers in search of evidence of alien UFOs (unidentified flying objects).

The decision is yet another twist in McKinnon’s legal saga, which began in 2002 when he was arrested for breaking into computers at the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA and the Department of Defense.

Earlier this month, a court in the U.K. denied him permission to take his battle against extradition to the British Supreme Court. His lawyer, Karen Todner, said at the time they would consider the option. In her comments to the BBC, she called on Home Secretary Alan Johnson to “show some compassion to someone who is extremely vulnerable.” 

"We hope he will stop this extradition process, and of course there is still the option to prosecute him here [in the U.K.],” Todner was quoted as saying.