Pentagon "UFO hacker"
Gary McKinnon has been given yet another chance to beat a US
extradition order for his US military hacking.
McKinnon will now be able to see out Christmas in the UK after
his lawyer won the right for a High Court judge to review
McKinnon's plight on 20 January.
The judge will make a decision on this date as to whether
another court should review his case. If a review is necessary, the
High Court will hear the case yet again.
McKinnon has admitted to hacking into US military systems
between 2001 and 2002, but says he should not be extradited to the
US as he was only looking for hidden evidence of UFOs.
The US government says he caused hundreds of thousands of
dollars in damage to military computer systems.
It has been a frustrating experience for the US authorities as
they indicted him in November 2002, and the UK government approved
his extradition in 2006.
McKinnon has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, an autistic
spectrum disorder that can lead to obsessive behaviour and poor
social interaction.
His condition may be used to fight the extradition.