LONDON — A British alleged computer hacker has won his appeal against extradition to the United States.
The High Court in London ruled Monday that Lauri Love’s extradition would not be allowed, although judges said it would still be possible to prosecute him in England.
The decision in Love’s favor was greeted with cheers in the courtroom.
U.S. officials had requested Love’s extradition on cyber-hacking charges for allegedly compromising government networks between October 2012 and October 2013 and stealing data.
He is alleged to have stolen large quantities of data from various U.S. agencies, including the Army, the Department of Defense, the Federal Reserve and NASA.
He has been charged in three U.S. states: New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
Love, 32, has Asperger’s syndrome and a depressive illness. His lawyers said it would be “unjust and oppressive” to send him to the U.S. to face trial.
At a hearing in November, his legal team said there was a high risk that Love would commit suicide if extradited.
In their ruling, the High Court judges raised the possibility that Love could be put on trial in England, saying that that would not be considered “oppressive.”
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