Kevin Mitnick has little sympathy for Nasa hacker

Kevin Mitnick, perhaps the world's most famous convicted computer hacker, has broken ranks with a number of his former peers to say he has little sympathy for Gary McKinnon - the UK hacker who currently faces extradition to the US.

Although Mitnick, who spent five years in prison following his arrest and subsequent conviction in 1995 for hacking into the systems of major companies, will have a good idea what conditions could await McKinnon if imprisoned in the US, he has clearly given little thought to the Brit's plight.

Speaking to silicon.com's sister site ZDNet UK, Mitnick said of McKinnon: "He's the UFO guy, right?

"I think the excuse that he was trying to expose UFOs is laughable - he was allegedly hacking around all sorts of systems."

However, the US hacker-turned-security consultant expressed some surprise at the demands for extradition of McKinnon, suggesting the US is flexing its muscles because it can, rather than because it should.

Mitnick said: "I think they're trying to make an example out of him - you can't be in another country and escape American justice. Now, I'm not an expert on British law but surely he could be prosecuted in the UK for the same thing?"

When ruling on the extradition last month, Judge Nicholas Evans, told the court in London: "It must be obvious to any defendant that if you chose to commit a crime in a foreign country you run the risk of being prosecuted in that country."

McKinnon awaits a final ruling from the Home Office on his extradition.

Kevin Mitnick was interviewed by Tom Espiner for ZDNet UK