Is Gary McKinnon an alien obsessed nerd or a NASA hacking mastermind?

Davey Winder
Wednesday, 13 August 2008 21:03

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US prosecutors are alleged to have threatened to treat him as a terrorist unless he pleaded guilty, at a US trial, and took up to four years in prison as a result. McKinnon declined, and decided to fight extradition instead.

That fight went to the UK High Court back in 2006, and McKinnon lost.

McKinnon took his appeal against that decision to the UK House of Lords last month, and lost there as well.

However, facing up to 70 years in a US prison if extradited and found guilty, Solo has not given up. His legal team have now taken the final fight to the European Court of Human Rights.

This time, McKinnon has won. Well sort of.

He has, at least, won a stay of execution as far as having his ass hauled off to the US is concerned. The European Court of Human Rights has granted him interim relief, a temporary stay in other words, until August 28th when the appeal application can be heard before the full chamber.

McKinnon continues to deny the accusations of terrorism and sabotage, claiming his motives were 'harmless and innocent' while admitting he just wanted to 'find evidence of UFOs he thought was being held by the US' in order to expose a cover up.

If he loses this final appeal, McKinnon is likely to be immediately extradited to the United States where that the prospect of that long prison term, not to mention fines of up to USD $1.75 million, might help focus his attention beyond the alien conspiracy theories and return it to the real world...