Accused hacker can be extradited to US, judge rules

A man with Asperger's Syndrome accused of hacking into US government computers can be extradited to the USA to stand trial, a judge has ruled.

Lauri Love, 31, who lives with his parents in Suffolk, is accused of hacking various high-profile US sites including the Federal Reserve, the Department of Defense, Nasa and the FBI.

He is alleged to have stolen a huge amount of data from authorities in a spate of online attacks in 2012 and 2013.

  • Suicide fears

His father Reverend Alexander Love has said that he fears that his son may kill himself if extradited to face cyber-hacking charges that lawyers say could lead to 99 years in prison if found guilty.

Reverend Love, a prison chaplain, told the extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court that his son has a long history of mental and physical illness.

"We are daily anxious for his well-being. The possibility that he will take his own life is inordinately high," he said.

But on Friday, District Judge Nina Tempia ruled he can be extradited to the US, where he could face the possibility of three separate trials in different jurisdictions.

"I'm going to extradite Mr Love but what I mean by that is I'm going to send his case to the Secretary of State," Judge Tempia told the hearing.

He was told he had 14 days to appeal the decision.

Lauri Love holds court papers outside Westminster Magistrates, where a judge ruled that he can be extradited to the US. Credit: PA

Mr Love thanked "everyone for their support", and said it is "unfortunate" for him and his family that they have to go through another six to 12 months of "legal stuff".

Asked how he felt when he heard the decision, he said: "It is probably a psychological defence mechanism, I will defer processing it until I am in a safe environment and I know I won't end up being acutely depressed and being useless to the world."

In an emotional statement outside court, Reverend Love said: "It is not fair or just that a boy who's got mental health issues can be taken away from his family who are his support network, merely to satisfy the desire of the Americans to exact what I feel is vengeance on him. This is wrong.

"We've had a big discussion about who can come into this country, let's have a discussion about who can be taken out of it and why they should be taken out."

Lauri Love's mother Sirkka-Liisa Love and sister Natasha outside the court. Credit: PA

Outside court Mr Love's solicitor Karen Todner said they were "extremely disappointed" with the decision.

"Most of this judgment is about the defence case, the prosecution didn't actually call any evidence," she told reporters. "This is not the end of the road, we are going to lodge an appeal, we are still hopeful the appeal will be successful in the High Court."

Supporters of Mr Love brought traffic to a standstill on the busy central London road outside court.

Playing music and dancing, they chanted "no love for the US gov", as angry commuters beeped their horns and made gestures for them to move.

Supporters of Lauri Love bring traffic to a standstill outside Westminster Magistrates' Court. Credit: PA
Playing music and dancing, supporters chanted no love for the US gov. Credit: PA