With the High Court having already refused the 43-year-old computer hacker Gary McKinnon the permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, the UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson has also refused his request to block his extradition to the US.

In a statement, Johnson said: “I have carefully considered the representations in the case of Gary McKinnon. I am clear that the information…. does not demonstrate that sending Mr McKinnon to the United States would breach his human rights.”

Johnson also added that because of legitimate health concerns of McKinnon, who is suffering from Asperger's syndrome, the government has “sought and received assurances from the US authorities that his needs will be met.”

The Home Secretary’s refusal implies that the UK government will not involve itself in the McKinnon case proceedings. As such, McKinnon could soon be sent to the US, where he faces trial for hacking into 97 federal computers, including those at Pentagon and NASA, during 2001 and 2002.

Admitting that he had broken into US military computers soon after the 9/11 terror attacks, the Glasgow-born McKinnon earlier told BBC that the hacking episode was part of his “moral crusade” to seek UFO evidence. If McKinnon is convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison.

Meanwhile, criticizing the government’s “barbaric” decision, McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp, added that McKinnon’s legal team will apply for a judicial review within days.