Spain orders extradition of British alleged hacker to U.S.

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s National Court has agreed to the extradition to the U.S. of a British citizen who allegedly took part in computer attacks including the hacking in 2020 of Twitter accounts of public figures such as Joseph Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Gates as well as for extortion and theft via internet. 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 revelations of secrets, membership of a criminal gang, illegal access to computer systems, internet fraud and money laundering. O’Connor, 23, from Liverpool, England was arrested in the southern Spanish coastal town of Estepona in July 2021.