British hacking suspect wins appeal against extradition to US

LONDON - Alleged British computer hacker Lauri Love on Monday won his High Court appeal in London against extradition to the United States.

The 32-year-old British student, accused of hacking into US government websites, will not be extradited to face trial in America, the High Court ruled following a hearing in November.

The decision to block extradition was met with cheers in the packed London courtroom.

Love, who is from Stradishall, Suffolk, is suspected of hacking into the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Central Bank and systems of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Love, who has joint British and Finnish nationality, has been fighting against extradition to the United States where he faces hacking charges.

He has Asperger syndrome and severe depression, local media reports said, adding that his supporters had feared that he would be held in solitary confinement and face a jail sentence of up to 99 years in the United States.

Authorities in the US have been fighting for Love to face trial on charges of cyber-hacking, which lawyers have said could mean a sentence of up to 99 years in prison if he is found guilty.