Lauri Love

Lauri Love (/ˈlaʊri lʌv/; born 14 December 1984, United Kingdom) is a Finnish-British activist charged extraterritorially with stealing data from United States Government computers including the Federal Reserve, the US Army, Missile Defense Agency, and NASA via hacking.

Love is from Stradishall, Suffolk. His parents Alexander Love, a prison chaplain at HM Prison Highpoint North, and Sirkka-Liisa Love, who also works at the prison, live in Stradishall.

After dropping out of sixth form college and working in a turkey plant, Love applied for a Finnish passport (his mother is Finnish), and then served in the Finnish army for six months, became a concientious objector and finished another six months of his obligation in alternative service,he has dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and Finland. After that, he studied and dropped out of Nottingham University in his second term after a physical and mental collapse, and at the Glasgow University in Scotland, but dropped out in his second year, again for health reasons. He was part of the 2011 Hetherington House Occupation, a student protest at Glasgow University.

United States

Love is under indictment in the United States (2013 in District of New Jersey, 2014 in Southern District of New York and Eastern District of Virginia). As of 2016, the United States is trying to extradite him to America to face charges and he is fighting the extradition.

Love's American attorney is Tor Ekeland.

Extradition hearing

During Love's two-day extradition hearing on 28 and 29 June 2016 at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, his father Reverend Alexander Love testified that Lauri Love has Asperger's syndrome and so should not be extradited. Also at the hearing, Simon Baron-Cohen, a psychologist, testified that Love should not be extradited due to his diagnosed disorders which include eczema, psychosis, Asperger's syndrome and depression. Love lives at home with his parents. Baron-Cohen stated that Love told him that he would commit suicide if extradited. Love's father testified that Love was not diagnosed with autism until he (Love) was an adult serving in the Finnish army. Baron-Cohen diagnosed Love with Asperger syndrome in 2012 when Love was in his late 20s.

Love himself testified at his extradition hearing on 29 June 2016. It was suggested in court that Love and his family had "crafted a media strategy" to garner public support against extradition. Love is supported by the Courage Foundation.

Love's barrister for this extradition hearing is Ben Cooper of Doughty Street Chambers. The case was adjourned.

On 16 September 2016, at Westminster Magistrates' Court a judge ruled that Love will be extradited to the US. Love's solicitor Karen Todner said they would be appealing against the ruling.

National Crime Agency (UK)

The National Crime Agency (UK) arrested Love in 2013. In February 2015, the BBC revealed that Love was taking legal action for the return of computers seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) when he was arrested.

In May 2016, Judge Nina Tempia of the Westminster Magistrates' Court ruled that Love did not have to tell the National Crime Agency (United Kingdom) what his passwords, or encryption keys, are.