'Biggest Pentagon Hacker' Dodges Extradition

October 16, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

The British government won't ship computer geek Gary McKinnon to the US to face charges that he broke into nearly 100 Pentagon and NASA computers seeking information on UFOs. They believe extradition would place the 46-year-old hacker, who has Asperger syndrome, at an increased risk of suicide. US officials have called his stunt the biggest military hack in history.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Gary McKinnon

Gary McKinnon is a Scottish systems administrator and hacker who was accused in 2002 of perpetrating the "biggest military computer hack of all time," although McKinnon himself – who has a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome – states that he was merely looking for evidence of fre... Explore this topic

Extradition

Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties. Where extradition is compelled by laws, such as among sub-national jurisdiction... Explore this topic

Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome, also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger disorder, is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other auti... Explore this topic

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. President Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administr... Explore this topic

Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the U.S. Department of Defense rather than the building itself. Designed... Explore this topic

Unidentified flying object

An unidentified flying object, or UFO, in its most general definition, is any apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable as any known object or phenomenon by visual observation and/or use of associated instrumentation such as radar. These anomalies were refer... Explore this topic

Geek

The word geek is a slang term for odd or non-mainstream people, with different connotations ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a person heavily interested in a hobby", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially]... Explore this topic

Theresa May

Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is the current Home Secretary. She was first elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead. She went on to be appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party in 2002 and was sworn of Her Majesty'... Explore this topic

United States

The United States of America, commonly called the United States, or America, is a federal republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capi... Explore this topic

London

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the largest city, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history g... Explore this topic

Also See

Gary McKinnon

Extradition

Asperger syndrome

Watch Next

2:06

UK Hacker May Dodge Extradition on Pentagon Raps

Al Jazeera English | Oct 14

A British hacker fighting a ten-year battle against extradition to the US to face charges that he cracked into Pentagon computers is about to learn...