Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Alleged NASA hacker to hear fate next month

CNET News.com: "A British former systems administrator who faces extradition to the U.S. if convicted of hacking American military computers will learn his fate next month.
Gary McKinnon appeared in court in London on Wednesday, in the latest stage in a protracted legal process. His defense has argued that he should not be extradited, as he could be tried under the tough antiterrorism laws in the U.S., sent to Guantanamo Bay and imprisoned for up to 60 years.
On Wednesday, the prosecution produced an unsigned note from the U.S. Embassy, which they claimed was a guarantee that McKinnon would not be tried under Military Order No. 1, which allows suspected terrorists to be tried under military law.
However, the defense argued that the note was not signed and therefore not binding. The defense called Clive Stafford-Smith, a U.S. lawyer who has defended Guantanamo Bay inmates, as a witness. Stafford-Smith argued that the note would not prevent McKinnon from being treated as a terrorist.
'(U.S. President Bush) has a very strong view that he has legislative authority that is not trammeled by the legislature,' Stafford-Smith said. "

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