Alleged hacker wins US extradition appeal

British judges yesterday agreed to block the extradition to the US of a man accused of hacking into thousands of American government computers in a ruling that could set a precedent for similar pending cases.Lauri Love, 33, has for several years been battling extradition to face multiple charges for allegedly hacking into the networks of the US Federal Reserve, US Army and Nasa, among others, in 2012 and 2013.“I am greatly relieved that I am no longer facing the prospect of being locked up for potentially the rest of my life in a country I have never visited,” he said following the ruling. “But I am also thankful for the precedent that’s been set hopefully by this case.”Kaim Todner, the law firm representing Love, hailed the ruling as a “landmark judgement”. “The British justice system has taken the stance that we should deal with the matter ourselves, rather than accept the US government’s demands,” it said. “It has also been recognised that mental health provisions in US prisons are not adequate to satisfy us that Lauri would not have come to serious harm if he were extradited,” the firm said in a statement.Love, who has dual British and Finnish citizenship, suffers from Asperger’s syndrome and has also been diagnosed with depression.After his arrest at his home in Britain in October 2013, his lawyers argued he would be prone to physical and mental danger in American prisons, and should instead face charges in Britain.They appealed against a 2016 court ruling in favour of extradition, subsequently signed off by Interior Minister Amber Rudd.Two high court judges now hearing the latest appeal agreed with their argument, with the decision greeted by raucous cheers from Love’s supporters who packed the court.“Oppression as a bar to extradition requires a high threshold, not readily surmounted,” wrote Judge Ian Burnett in a joint ruling released yesterday. “But we are satisfied, in the particular combination of circumstances here, that it would be oppressive to extradite Love.”However, the decision lays the groundwork for British prosecutors to take on the case, with the judges noting “it would not be oppressive to prosecute Love in England for the offences alleged against him”. The defendant and his supporters welcomed the ruling.“I’m not saying that I’m looking forward to being prosecuted but I think that there is a better chance that it will be done justly and fairly here in the UK,” Love said. “We’re not fighting for impunity. We’re fighting for what any other defendant would expect in the UK if they’re accused of wrongdoing: that they will be treated under the law of our country.”