Gary McKinnon now says he hacked 97 U.S. government computers because he was looking for UFOs

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

January 27, 2009

1 Min Read

Famed hacker Gary McKinnon, who stands accused of breaking into some 97 U.S. defense and NASA computers, has found a couple more ways to dodge extradition to America.

According to a U.K. wire report, McKinnon now says he was looking for evidence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) when he hacked the government systems.

McKinnon's supporters also are pressing the courts to consider the recent diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome -- a form of autism -- before making a decision about extradition, according to the report. The affliction could cause McKinnon to attempt suicide if he is sent to the U.S., they say.

Keir Starmer, England and Wales' new Director of Public Prosecutions, is also looking at a request for McKinnon to be tried in Britain rather than the United States. His supporters believe he would get a more lenient sentence in Britain than in the U.S., where the 42-year-old faces a potential life sentence.

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Dark Reading Staff

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