British judges on Monday agreed to block the extradition to the United States of a man accused of hacking into thousands of American government computers in a ruling that could set a precedent for similar pending cases.
Lauri Love, 33, has for several years been battling extradition to face multiple charges for allegedly hacking into the networks of the US Federal Reserve, US Army and NASA, among others, in 2012 and 2013.
“I am greatly relieved that I am no longer facing the prospect of being locked up for potentially the rest of my life in a country I have never visited,” he said following the ruling.
“But I am also thankful for the precedent that’s been set hopefully by this case.”
Kaim Todner, the law firm representing Love, hailed the ruling as a “landmark judgment”.
“The British justice system has taken the stance that we should deal with the matter ourselves, rather than accept the US government’s demands,” it said.
“It has also been…