<p>A British computer hacker accused by the United States of causing more than $700,000 damage to US military systems will not be extradited because of the high risk he could kill himself, Britain’s home secretary Theresa May said on Tuesday. <br /><br />Gary McKinnon, who has been fighting extradition for seven years, faced up to 60 years in a US jail if found guilty of what one US prosecutor called the “biggest military computer hack of all time”. </p>.<p>McKinnon, 46, admits hacking into Pentagon and NASA computers under the pseudonym “Solo” but said he was looking for evidence of UFOs. </p>.<p>The former computer systems administrator has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, and is suffering from depressive illness. He has been fighting extradition since British police arrested him in 2005. <br /><br />“I have concluded that McKinnon's extradition would give rise to such a high risk of him ending his life that a decision to extradite would be incompatible with McKinnon’s human rights,” May told parliament. <br /><br />“I have therefore withdrawn the extradition order against McKinnon.” <br /><br />His case was one of the most high-profile extradition decisions ever faced by the British government. </p>
<p>A British computer hacker accused by the United States of causing more than $700,000 damage to US military systems will not be extradited because of the high risk he could kill himself, Britain’s home secretary Theresa May said on Tuesday. <br /><br />Gary McKinnon, who has been fighting extradition for seven years, faced up to 60 years in a US jail if found guilty of what one US prosecutor called the “biggest military computer hack of all time”. </p>.<p>McKinnon, 46, admits hacking into Pentagon and NASA computers under the pseudonym “Solo” but said he was looking for evidence of UFOs. </p>.<p>The former computer systems administrator has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, and is suffering from depressive illness. He has been fighting extradition since British police arrested him in 2005. <br /><br />“I have concluded that McKinnon's extradition would give rise to such a high risk of him ending his life that a decision to extradite would be incompatible with McKinnon’s human rights,” May told parliament. <br /><br />“I have therefore withdrawn the extradition order against McKinnon.” <br /><br />His case was one of the most high-profile extradition decisions ever faced by the British government. </p>