Hacking Allegations: Pakistani faces extradition to US

He was alleged of “surreptitiously controlling” more than 100,000 protected computers without the owners’ knowledge.

LONDON: A Pakistani student failed Thursday in a High Court bid to avoid extradition from Britain to the United States on computer hacking allegations stemming from an FBI “sting”.

Usman Ahzaz, 24, came to Britain to study for a degree in information systems and computing.

He was arrested at the request of the US authorities which alleged that he, “surreptitiously controlled” more than 100,000 protected computers -- a “botnet” -- without the owners’ knowledge after being caught in an FBI “sting” operation.

The court was told that, in 2010, an FBI undercover agent paid Ahzaz $600 to install surreptitiously what he “believed to be malicious” computer code provided by the agent into the compromised computers.

Of the 100,000 computers involved, about 800 were located in the United States.

Judge Peter Gross, England’s senior presiding judge, said the extradition request was focused on “an attempt rather than the causing of actual damage”.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2013.