"Spain Orders Extradition of British Alleged Hacker to US"

Spain’s National Court has recently agreed to the extradition to the U.S. of a British citizen who allegedly took part in cyberattacks, including the July 2020 hacking of Twitter accounts of public figures such as Joseph Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates.  A court statement Friday said requirements had been met for handing over Joseph James O’Connor to U.S. authorities for 14 charges covering crimes such as the revelation of secrets, membership of a criminal gang, illegal access to computer systems, internet fraud, money laundering, and extortion.  O’Connor, 23, from Liverpool, England, was arrested in the southern Spanish coastal town of Estepona in July 2021.  The court noted that he is accused of hacking some 130 Twitter accounts.  He is also wanted for hacking the Snapchat account of an unidentified public figure whom he allegedly tried to extort with the threat of publishing nude photographs of the person.  He is also wanted for several cases of “swatting,” prank calls to emergency services aimed at getting large numbers of police to be sent to different locations.  The court noted that he is wanted by courts in the Northern District of California and the Southern District of New York.  The extradition order can be appealed.

SecurityWeek reports: "Spain Orders Extradition of British Alleged Hacker to US"