Hacking suspect: I’ll fight US extradition

Published 8:41 am Friday, February 28, 2014

LONDON — A British man accused of hacking into a series of American government computer networks has pledged to fight any move to extradite him to the United States.

Lauri Love, 28, is charged with computer hacking and aggravated identity theft, which carry a potential penalty of up to 12 years in prison. On Thursday, U.S. prosecutors added an attack on the Federal Reserve to his charge sheet.

American attempts to extradite U.K. hackers have often become politicized.

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Gary McKinnon, accused of hacking U.S. military computers in 2002, fought a decade-long legal battle which eventually thwarted the extradition bid.

Love’s lawyer Karen Todner — who previously represented McKinnon — said Friday that any extradition request from the U.S. would be “vehemently opposed.”