U.K. approves extradition of alleged U.S. government computer hacker

LONDON — The United Kingdom signed off the extradition of a man accused of stealing data from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Army, NASA and the FBI.

Lauri Love, 31, who has Asperger’s syndrome, depression and eczema according to media reports, faces up to 99 years in prison if convicted of computer hacking charges between 2012 and 2013, according to his lawyers. He has 14 days to appeal the extradition decision.

U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd signed the extradition order Monday having “carefully considered all relevant matters,” the Home Office said.

Love argued that his health problems meant that spending time in a U.S. prison could drive him to a mental breakdown or suicide, the Guardian reported.

He is accused of causing damage worth millions of dollars by putting hidden “shells” or “backdoors” in networks that allowed data to be stolen, according to the Guardian.

At a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London in September, District Judge Nina Tempia ruled that Love could be extradited. She accepted he had “physical and mental health issues”, and said she believed they would be adequately provided for in the U.S., the Guardian reported.

Love's father, the Rev. Alexander Love, told the U.K.'s Press Association news agency following the extradition order Monday: "It was going to happen — it was inevitable — but it's still painful. I cannot begin to express how much sorrow it causes me. All we are asking for is British justice for a British citizen."