It is not the manner in which the US justice system will deal with Mr McKinnon that alarms. It is the diminuation of a British Citizen's nationality rights where the US government do not even need to demonstrate a prima face case or produce evidence of alleged damage in the extradition proceedings.

Gordon Blyth, Manchester, UK

Has no one read this article? He will get twelve months tops in the U.S. omg... We do not sentence hackers to death here! Get real. His biggest mistake was in the timing and odd messages he left. If all he was after was after was evidence why not sneak in and out undetected. The man is a looney.

Leila, Orlando, USA

BTW Seeing he was in US cyber space I dont really think the arguement of being on UK soil is pertinent. Imagine it was after the London bombings in 2006 and someone hacked into your military computers. What would you want, realistically what would your government want?

Leila, Orlando, USA

This being a federal level crime he would do a very small part of the sentence in a Federal Pen. Have you ever seen a U.S. Federal Pen? Where they put our wayward politicians??? Umm, not exactly the worst place to be for 12 months.

Leila, Orlando, USA

The British government should refuse to extradite this misguided man for one simple reason. the US still has the death penalty. Until this is removed then we should not extradite ANYONE to the US, no matter what crime they are accused of.

Neil Smith, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

The US Government is the real guilty party, for refusing to release the free energy technology that McKinnon claims to have seen evidence of. The US military wages war needlessly, except that it aims to distract people's attention from their internal problems-mainly poverty, education, racism, etc.

John McCann, Sydney, Australia

@Ali, Sydney, Australia - "I wonder if the "hacker" who found out about the Chinese gymnast age is equally guilty?"

That wasn't hacking, just intelligent use of a search engine.

Alastair, Alicante, Spain

The might of The US once again pressures The UK to do as its told.

Cw, manchester, UK

I wonder if the "hacker" who found out about the Chinese gymnast age is equally guilty? He appears to be a hero today. Did he do any hacking I wonder.

I think Gary is a bigger hero, he wants free energy for people. Free him, and point the a finger on those who keep this technology a secret from us

Ali, Sydney, Australia

So did he find out anything about UFO's?

John , SA, USA

The talk of using him to work is ridiculous who would employ such a security risk, Slap him on the wrist and send him to a careers adviser. Let everyone practice Buddhism. the US gov lacks compassion on this case, this guy clearly is socially inept.

Jambo, Boston, USA

Yes, he was wrong to hack but its another case of the US Military getting egg on its face due to an appaling lack of security. I agree with him. They should employ him as an advisor on how to counter future hackers, pay him a minimum wage as part of his punishment. Not lock him away to rot in jail.

Michael Kirk, LURAY, Virginia

The USA is making a big mistake if they do not treat Gary McKinnon lightly. As the responses here suggest the USA administration's action will greatly influence UK public opinion against the USA. The consequences will be long lasting and wide spread, impacting tourism, trade and general relations.

Paul Millsom, Malvern, Worcs

This is terrifying that in a civilised world Mr Mckinnon can be treated like this. Having a nose about on a a few exposed computers is not serious enough to warrant a prison sentence.

David, Emsworth,

I find it amazing here we have Mr Mckinnon being extradited without objection for highlighting US govt insecure sites while the UK taxpayer can't get shut of known troublemakers.
This alacrity suggest he did indeed find something deeply buried ( or so the US thought !)

Dave, Chorley,

John, Autism means that he doesn't communicate with people well, while I am not defending the European courts desicion or Jackie Smith autism in know way stops him from understanding what he is doing.

Alan H, london,

What the guy did was plain stupidy, but people dont get 70 years for murder in the UK, and so the government shouldnt be allowed to extradite a person to the USA to face a sentence that it would not itself give. He is a British subject, and therefore deserves the protection of his country.

Matt, Naples, Italy

Gary McKinnon must stay in UK. If Jackie Smith refuses to intervene now that she knows he has a neurological disability and is a harmless Autistic man, it will be proof that this government knows more than they let on and something fishy definitely is going on. What was it that he saw? What secrets?

John, Greater Manchester, UK

To those who say 'he deserves it - he committed a crime': you clearly do not understand the problem here. Yes, he committed a crime (of dubious severity) and should be tried, but he SHOULD NOT be extradited to the USA. This sets a precedent for ALL UK citizens (ie YOU) to be extracted at USA behest!

Stevie C, Bristol, UK

He was very stupid to of got caught!
His comment "I believe my case is being treated so seriously because they’re scared of what I’ve seen." is intriguing, if he has seen classified information he should expose it. as he's got nothing to lose!

A Jones, Cardiff, UK

So the British state thinks America has jurisdiction over actions in Britain? Never mind Europe, this is the real threat to independence.

Also, Asperger syndrome should be considered "not mens rea" in terms of legal culpability, as there is no way autistic people get fair trials from NT judges.

Andy, Nottingham,

If I left my email account open in a browser and my girlfriend read all my emails. I would have myself to blame likewise the US computer he hacked into should have been properly firewalled and password protected.

The US government should be making more effort to fix security than going after him.

Mike, Liverpool, UK

The things some people will forgive if it's done against the US.
He's gone to every legal venue open to him, up to and including the ECHR, and they all say no. Don't worry, just say Abu Ghraib and Gitmo and the bleeding hearts will come running. Save Gary from waterboarding, ET! Save him!

Reggie, Rochester, NY, USA

Gary is a scapegoat. The $1 million damages that were alleged were all miscrued in order to make his prosecution more effective. Dialing in remotely onto a network at millitary/naval level by just using USER: Admin/Password: (blank) IS stupidly easy! Are protesters put away 4 70yrs? no

John coyle, London,

I thought the UK did not extradite people to regimes or countries with a history & ongoing policy of Torture?

richard, preston, UK

The British government wishes to extradite British citizens to a violent country that sanctions torture and uses the death penalty. If the US can afford to bomb women and children in Afghanistan but can not afford a firewall for military computers, their priorities are wrong.

Tim C, Southern England, United Kingdom

The US government should hire him as their lead security advisor. This fellow is obviously incredibly talented and that talent should be used. What about sending him to UK military jail where he can work for NATO or UK governments on security? Misguided certainly, brilliant - definitely!

athanasopoulou, london, uk

Perhaps consideration should be given to prosecuting the US wiz kids responsible for failing to maintain the security aspect of their own dark secrets.

Peter Hatton, St Ives, UK

This man is a pernicious fool, but the concept of reciprocal justice is affronted by this and other cases where the evidence required for UK and US extraditions is so completely out of balance.
That the government signed up to it and continues with it suggests strongly that it has been leaned on.

Martin, London,

How is the guy going to get a fair trial in the US when "American officials involved in this case have stated that they want to see him 'fry'". They've already made up their minds on the out come of a trial

dw, gloucestershire,

Whats to say they dont treat him and charge him as a terrorist when he is on US soil. They got caught with there pants down and dont like it. Shows how skillfull he is and it scares them.

I wonder what he did he see ? How cant they protect there goverment systems anyway it seems pretty lapse.

Andy , UK,

Why on earth don't they use his expertise to sort out obviously insecure computer systems? This would not only save huge amounts of money prosecuting & jailing him but would benefit the US government defence departments in areas where they are obviously not competent .

sid cass, ashford, uk

give the guy a job with MI5 you know it makes sense?think about the attitude of the USA when we want justice for our boys killed by friendly fire? will they extradite them ?

eddie, tavistock, uk

"He is terrified at the thought of going to America" Oh come on Gary, the weather is not as bad as all that.

Jerry, seattle, usa

Get out of the country gary do a runner ,there are plenty of places to go spain,perhaps fake passports are easy to buy
Don.t let the yanks ruin your life
Iran is talked about for being a nation of executioners,hangings etc It's not even on a parr with the USA it holds the world record

james ruben, grimsby, uk

Apollo14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell recently stated that extra-terrestrial contact has been covered up for the past 60 years, that the Roswell incidents are real, and that he has attended governmental briefings on them. So it's hardly surprising how desperate the US is to bury Gary McKinnon.

Alastair, Alicante, Spain

The Home Secretary must intervene, letting Gary McKinnon go to the US would be yet another example of this labour government clearly putting political benefit before the government's and the Home Secretary's key obligation to protect UK citizens' Welfare and the welfare of their families.

chris, London, UK

Well he knew what he was doing!
Although nobody was hurt, it could very easily led to lose of life.

Hacking into other peoples computers is a crime and a serious one at that. Hacking into a nation's defence network is both very serious and takes dedication.
Time to face the music

Carl, Eastbourne, UK

We should be protecting this British Citizen. He exposed how easy it was to crack a nuclear power's military computers. He harmed nobody.

Jaquie Smith should show some guts and tell the USA to take their military PC's off the web if they cannot provide them with strong enough passwords.

Ian Woodbridge, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

A crime is a crime, says Geoff, which might include lying to your own electorate to get them to support whatever you want, vis a vis Iraq. The guy made a nonsense of US computer security, he didn't kill or maim, he isn't occupying any country by force. Blair and Bush got away with far worse.

Hugh Reid, Glasgow UK,

What Gary did was foolish but it remains incredible that the USA defence departments had left themselves so vulnerable. The sentences spouted by the US will be terrifying to Gary. The UK government should recognise this as needless intimidation and refuse the extradition. It is a human rights issue.

Steve, Braintree, UK

It's extremely alarming how little evidence will have to be provided to a US court to convict him. We have a treaty that allows him to be extradited without evidence; now he has to fight a case where the US military don't have to provide evidence of the damage done!

How the hell is this justice?

Andrew, Fareham,

In theory it would be possible to pass a law in Vietnam that British men have to carry pipes and slippers. It doesn't mean they can enforce it.

No citizen can reasonably be expected to follow and be punished by the law of any state other than his own unless he commits the crime abroad.

Andrew, Fareham,

He broke the law, he should be tried for it. If you're not prepared to do the time, don't do the crime!

Alex, London,

apparently britain is being ruled by usa and our useless and gutless and corrupt politicians would bow to any of their demands.we have a perfectly capable judiciary system and it can deal with any crime taken place in the uk other than that our sovereignty would be under question.
it is a disgrace.

ebbi britt, valencia , spain

Could someone explain to me what this guy has actually done wrong? Has he harmed someone, or just upset Uncle Sam? If this crime be worth 80 years and extradition, how come Gary Glitter is free to walk the streets and people like Hamza remain here? World gone blinking mad.

arem, London,

Are you telling me that the US goverment does not have hundreds of its employees hacking into other countries compters worlwide!

Andy, UK,

Asperger's is not something someone can 'snap out of' - Autism is for life and no support makes co-morbid conditions of Autism worse. Gary is disabled - he's not a terrorist. It's despicable how they are throwing this vulnerable man to the mercy of some power-mad and clearly very embarassed folks

Suzie, Burton-on-Trent, UK

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed this chap's likeness to an alien?

Paul, London,

Their is no way he should be sent to the USA,how many times have we seen brits sent to the USA,and seen the US fail to send people to this country,ie the US Marines who Murdered Terry Lloyd,the Airman who have killed Brits in Iraq ,
so Ms Smith do the right thing for a change

KENNETH BOWRY, LONDON,

anyone seen the film "catch me if you can"? the US governmnet should employ him to test their systems!

sam, london,

The guy knew the risks when he started his little adventure, ignorance is no excuse. That said, he's hardly a terrorist and the US military are trying to deflect their astounding incompetence by throwing the book at him. There should be conditions attached to the extradition..

R Wilson, Southampton, UK

He did not hurt anybody, he is no threat. As a mother of a child with Asperger's, I know all about Autistic obsessions and I feel deeply for Gary's family and hope that those in power will see sense and get him the appropriate treatment for OCD so that he could put his obvious talents to good use.

Veronica, Enfield, UK

Gary should be treated for his OCD and be allowed to be a productive member of society. He is clearly very bright (and cares about energy crisis) Most people with Asperger's go through an additional stress in life from being bullied which increases their obsessiveness tremendously.

Irene, Vancouver, Canada

Bleeding nutcase who knew exactly what he was doing and now looks to justify it with a ridiculous excuse.Sorry officer I was going too fast because of UFOs. In the UK he might get an honour or a grant but let's hope he gets what he deserves in the USA. A crime is a crime.

Geoff Lusk, Margueron, France

Why are we to allow this british subject to be extradited to the USA which has a death penalty when we cannot or will not send convicted terrorists back to there own country because they have a death penalty. In the latter case we keep them here and also pay them benifits to live at our expence.It.

Andrew Mitchell, Bootle, England

Great news it is time these hackers pay for their little pleasures, they seem to think it is their god given right to break into peoples
computers with impunity.

Barry Holmes, Christchurch,

What's the hoopla about? The hacker broke into US Defense Department systems located IN THE US. If he had hacked into MOD computers in the UK then he'd be a long term guest of HMPS instead.

The hacker went after US Government systems in the US; so to the US he will go to answer for his crimes.

Eric, St John, US Virgin Islands

Kevin I think Gary has every right to be fearful...watch the movie An Innocent Man, with Tom Sellick. The US powers who failed to do their job protecting your nation want a scapegoat and they want blood, they'll get it if Gary goes to high security...I've seen it as a parole assessor on the inside.

thomas, london, UK

Clearly, this man is a renegade member of the order of shape shifting lizards who has fallen out with other illuminati (just look at his features). We should elect him to parliament to defeat the NWO and give him parliamentary immunity.

David Snoyke, London, UK

Why on earth are we giving up our citizens to the US where the rule of law has been replaced by torture waterboarding and detention without trial? Try him in England and give him an Asbo.

Phil, Hong Kong,

Tell you what UK. We will swap you Bill Gates for this guy. Maybe he can get my Vista machine to work.

Nick, Clifton, Virginia, United States

No country should extradite its citizens to face a sentence that so would be considered excessive at home. The US understands this. Sadly, the UK cowers and fawns.

This poor, deluded fool has no hope of justice.

Liam, Dublin, Ireland

If I visit my girl in New york and steal her ATM card, grab cash and high-tail it back here then I commited a crime in US - extradition. If I hack into her account and transfer money, I commited the crime here. No extradition. We'll handle our own baddies Uncle Sam, you handle your firewalls.

thomas, london, UK

Whatever the reason or motives for his actions, he still comitted a crime and so should pay the price! People committ crimes everyday for 'just causes' and we condemn them as terroists. We cant have one rule or one set people and one for another, where is the justice in that!

Mark Jones, Chongqing, China

Come on US it's obvious a five year old can hack your system, don't be hard on the geek!!!

john , caracas,

The idea of giving this guy a job is ludicrous.

To begin with, the "hacking" merely involved logging on to computers using remote desktop software that was very poorly configured to use blank passwords on the government end.

Secondly, it's not even clear if he's sane, let alone trustworthy.

James M, York, UK

Curious that the British government have decided to extradite this man to the US to face a possible life sentence when they decline to do so with people of other nations, who have settled in Britain, who face the same threat. The US should be paying this man to solve their serious security problems.

Ross, london,

This isn't an issue of justice, but of pride. The man who is caught using his girlfriend's aunts computer and email address isn't the threat, and his prosecution won't be a deterrent. Beware the clever as yet undetected ones.

John, Melbourne, Australia

This man should immediately be employed in HM Services as our top computer hacker as his skills are ahead of any the USA or GB currently employ.What morons are in our Government to let such a brilliant mind fester in Jail.The US should pay him for such original talent in exposing their weak systems.

Peter, Belfast, N.Ireland

Hands up anyone who wants to trade places with this man.

Paul Francis, Brisbane, Australia

I suggest you contrast this, with the mature attitude of the NZ courts. Search for "Owen Walker" & "hacker" in the NZ Herald (July 27). Discharged without conviction. for breaking Univ of Pennsylvania's system. The judge recommended that, instead of imprisonment, his talents be used beneficially.

Ron Durham, Auckland, NZ

I say Congratulations to him for unveiling just how lax the security systems for the government are in the US. If he is as clever as they say he is, he wouldn't leave a cyber footprint using his own girlfriends email address. They could use someone like him to their advantage!

Justin, Maidstone, UK

Gary McKinnon has committed a crime but he's a British citizen and the crime was perpetrated on British soil, so he should be tried here, where he can receive due process under law and not be subject to arbitrary extra-judicial detention in a foreign country. Typical spineless NuLabour capitulation.

Jacques Francis, Westcott, UK

They should be utilising this mans capabilities not condemning him, and as for the Extradition treaty, this is another fine example of "Funcion Creep".

adam, Panama., Panama.

Gary is certainly fantasy prone. His fears of what will happen to him in the U.S. are about as realistic as the alien artifacts he thinks our government is hiding. In three to five years he will be back in Britain, a wiser and more mature man.

Kevin Gregg, Mesa, Arizona, U.S.A.

If this fool can get into the US military computers then we can be sure the Russians have also been able to do it. Is this why Putin is being so cocky since he knows exactly what the US military are thinking?

Frank, London, London

ETs DOES EXITS! Gary is a martyr, a world hero for the disclosure!

Sylvain, Montreal, Canada

The governments of the NWO are hiding behind this case, they should tell the truth about UFO'S, this case is wrong.

andrew, stockport, uk