'US friendly' treaty to be re-examined

By Alexandra Pullin

Tuesday, 20 October 2009, 13:52

UFO HACKER Gary McKinnon might never be extradited to the US, as the Home Secretary faces a select committee over the decision to try him abroad.

Peers are looking to change the "lopsided" (read 'US friendly') treaty under which McKinnon, 43, could be sent to America.

As the treaty stands, US lawyers need only show 'reasonable suspicion' for an extradition warrant to be granted in Britain. But there is no such reciprocal arrangement for the Crown Prosecution Service in America.

The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, will be questioned publicly by an all-party committee of MPs on why he is extraditing McKinnon.

The committee will investigate whether the Home Secretary should be given discretion to try cases such as McKinnon's in the UK.

Keith Vaz MP, the committee's chairman, said, "I support calls for a review of this treaty in order to get the best deal for UK citizens.

"The case of Gary McKinnon highlights the difficulties in the current extradition relationship between the UK and the US. It is clear that the US got a better deal from the Extradition Treaty."

This is the latest development in the long running on-again, off-again extradition of McKinnon. Only yesterday we reported that the UFO hacker has had his extradition put on hold again as new psychiatric evidence is being considered.

McKinnon was denied permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against his removal and had 14 days to appeal to the European Court. But, from yesterday, the Home Office is now also considering new evidence and has put that deadline on hold.

McKinnon is accused of hacking into US military and NASA computer networks from his flat in north London in 2001.