LONDON — British authorities Tuesday blocked a long-standing demand for the extradition of Gary McKinnon, a computer hacker wanted in the United States to face charges of intruding into Pentagon computer networks in a case that has become a touchstone of the delicate jurisdictional balance between the two countries since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
McKinnon, 46, who has been facing the accusations for a decade, suffers from Asperger’s syndrome and is prone to depression, British officials said.
In light of the “high risk” that the suspect would commit suicide if sent to the United States, Home Secretary Theresa May told Parliament, she had “withdrawn the extradition order against Mr. McKinnon” to safeguard his human rights.
U.S. prosecutors say McKinnon gained unauthorized access to 97 government computers between February 2001 and March 2002, causing damage worth $566,000. While he has admitted hacking into Pentagon networks, he insists that he did so to seek evidence about unidentified flying objects.
