Britain Approves Extradition of Alleged Hacker to U.S. | Homeland Security Degrees
Britain Approves Extradition of Alleged Hacker to U.S. | Homeland Security Degrees
https://homelandsecurityedus.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/britain-approves-extradition-of-alleged-hacker-to-u-s/
London – Britain’s interior minister on Monday ordered the extradition to the United States of a man accused of hacking into thousands of US government computers.
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WikiLeaks, which Assange founded in 2006, has been posting daily batches of emails from Clinton’s campaign chair, John Podesta, seemingly in an attempt to harm Clinton’s electoral chances. Among other things, the leaks have shown communications with journalists that were meant to be kept secret, political advice about rivals within and without the Democratic party, and details of the candidate’s paid speeches to Wall Street firms.
Clinton has raised questions about the possible involvement of Russian hackers in obtaining the documents – the US government has accused Russia of being behind the hacks against the Democratic National Committee – and what it would mean if Vladimir Putin’s government were trying influence the race.
Trump has said information disclosed in the leaks ought to disqualify Clinton from the presidential election.
Some observers believe Assange is personally antagonistic to Clinton, who was secretary of state when the US began investigating him for potential crimes under the Espionage Act.
WikiLeaks came to prominence in 2010 for a massive dump of diplomatic cables and army reports related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars provided to media outlets including the Guardian by an American soldier, Chelsea Manning.
At the time, Hannity suggested that “people might die” because of the leaks. On Friday, he tweeted: “And I have said on radio and TV that my original fears were wrong. My biggest fear was people would die as a result. Listen, watch learn.”
Since 2012, Assange has been running WikiLeaks from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, after applying for political asylum. He is wanted in Sweden for rape, an accusation he links to a conspiracy to extradite him to the US to face charges. This week, the Ecuadorian embassy said it had removed his internet access. The US and Ecuador denied that they had conspired to do so.
To his supporters, Julian Assange is a valiant campaigner for truth. To his critics, he is a publicity-seeker who has endangered lives by putting a mass of sensitive information into the public domain.
Mr Assange is described by those who have worked with him as intense, driven and highly intelligent – with an exceptional ability to crack computer codes.
He set up Wikileaks, which publishes confidential documents and images, in 2006 – making headlines around the world in April 2010 when it released footage showing US soldiers shooting dead 18 civilians from a helicopter in Iraq.
But, later that year, he was detained in the UK after Sweden issued an international arrest warrant over allegations of sexual assault.
Swedish authorities said they wanted to question him over claims that he raped one woman and sexually molested and coerced another in August of that year, while on a visit to Stockholm to give a lecture. He says both encounters were entirely consensual.
Political asylum
He spent the following months fighting extradition while under house arrest in a small rural town in England. Westminster Magistrates’ Court approved the extradition in February 2011 and this was later upheld by the High Court.
On 14 June 2012, the UK Supreme Court dismissed his application to re-open the appeal.
A few days later, Mr Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he remains after being granted political asylum by the South American country on 16 August 2012.
He fears being extradited from Sweden to the US and put on trial for releasing secret US documents.
Police officers outside the Ecadorean embassyImage copyrightREUTERS
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