Lauri Love

Born on 14th December 1984, Love is from Stradishall, Suffolk in England. Lauri was born to parents, Alexander Love, a prison chaplain at HM Prison Highpoint north, and Sirkka-Liisa Love, who also works at the prison, who both lived in Stradishall.

Love dropped out of Sixth Form College and had begun working in a turkey plant. After that, Love applied for a Finnish passport, since his mother, Sirkka-Liisa, was from Finland. Later he served in the army in Finland for a period of six months.

Then he became a Conscientious objector, serving another six months of his obligation in alternative service. Love is a citizenship holder of the United Kingdom and Finland.

Later after dropping out of Nottingham University in England in his second term due to a physical and mental collapse, Love had to drop out again from the University of Glasgow in Scotland because of health reasons again.

Love has been placed under indictment in the US and the United States has even attempted to extradite him to face charges there. On 28 and 29 June, during Love’s two-day extradition hearing, his father, Reverend Alexander Love, testified that Lauri Love must not be extradited after presenting evidence that Lauri Love has the Asperger’s syndrome.

The disease, which included eczema, psychosis, and depression prevented Love from being extradited after a psychologist, Simon Baron-Cohen, who was also present at the hearing, testified that he should not be extradited. Supported by Courage Foundation, Love himself testified on 29 June 2016 at his extradition hearing. The case was adjourned.

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

Lauri Love, alleged computer hacker, first arrested in the October of 2013, has finally won his High Court appeal against his extradition to the US. An extradition would be “oppressive by reason of his physical and mental condition” as stated by the appeal judges and urged the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to prosecute Mr. Love, a victim of the Aspergers syndrome, in England.

Although Love is accused of hacking into and stealing data from the US army, defense department, NASA and the FBI, his supporters have warned the court that if he were to be extradited, there would be a high chance that he would kill himself, due to his already existing depression from the Aspergers syndrome.

The United States authorities now have 14 days to lodge a request for an appeal hearing at the UK Supreme Court.