The home secretary, Amber Rudd, has signed an order for the extradition of a British man to the US, where his lawyers believe he could face up to 99 years in prison if convicted of hacking charges. Lauri Love is accused of stealing large amounts of data from US government agencies such as the Federal Reserve, the army, the Department of Defense, Nasa and the FBI in a spate of online attacks in 2012 and 2013.

The 31-year-old activist, who has Asperger syndrome, lost his legal challenge to avoid extradition in September, and on Monday the Home Office said the necessary order allowing his removal had been signed after Rudd “carefully considered all relevant matters”.

The Home Office said Love “has been charged with various computer hacking offences which included targeting US military and federal government agencies”. He has 14 days to appeal against the order and is expected to do so.



Love, who also has depression and eczema, had argued that his health means a jail term in the US could drive him towards a mental breakdown or suicide. However, the district judge, Nina Tempia, said in her ruling on 16 September that Love could be cared for by “medical facilities in the United States prison estate”.

She said he faced “extremely serious charges” and, while she accepted that he suffered from “both physical and mental health issues”, she believed provision for his condition was adequate in the US.

US authorities have been fighting for Love to face trial there. He could face proceedings in three different US jurisdictions. Rudd had been given a deadline of 16 November to decide whether or not to order his extradition.

It is alleged that between October 2012 and October 2013, Love placed hidden “shells” or “backdoors” within networks, allowing for confidential data to be stolen. He is accused of causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage.



The Courage Foundation, which has supported Love in his legal fight, compared his case to that of Gary McKinnon, whose extradition was blocked by the then home secretary Theresa May in 2012.

Sarah Harrison, the foundation’s acting director, said: “I am dismayed to hear that Lauri Love’s extradition request has been approved, as this puts him directly in harm’s way and fails to protect his human rights. The home secretary’s decision upholds a one-sided extradition treaty that leaves UK citizens without proper protections against the threat of US prosecution.

“The US has ruthlessly persecuted hackers and digital activists for years, and nobody expects that to improve under President Trump. Theresa May set a good example by protecting Gary McKinnon back in 2012. For a home secretary in her government now to willingly send a brilliant and vulnerable UK citizen to Donald Trump’s America beggars belief.”

In a letter to the Home Office opposing extradition because of the risk of suicide, Love’s solicitor, Karen Todner, wrote this month: “One hundred and fourteen MPs have written to President Obama inviting him to recognise the seriousness of Mr Love’s mental illness and withdraw the request for extradition to permit prosecution to proceed in England, where Mr Love would be able to stand trial on bail with the support of his close family and support network.



“We … urge you to recognise that this is a case where the risk to Mr Love’s life arising from extradition is so great that it would be entirely justified for you to make your own representations to your US counterpart to withdraw the extradition request because a domestic prosecution in England would permit justice to be done and remove the severe risk to Mr Love’s life.”

Love’s father, Alexander, said in response to Rudd’s decision: “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.”

Barry Sheerman, one of more than 100 MPs who signed a letter calling on Barack Obama to block Love’s extradition, said he was “deeply disappointed”.

“We are still keeping up the pressure. We are getting more and more MPs to sign the letter to President Obama,” the Labour MP for Huddersfield said. “The pressure continues. We won’t give up.”