Facebook hacker held: Arrested Briton faces extradition to U.S. in echo of McKinnon case

A Briton has been arrested on suspicion of trying to steal the personal information of millions of Facebook users.Officers swooped on the 26-year-old man’s home after being tipped off by the FBI.
He is believed to be the first person to be detained in this country for trying such a large-scale attack on the social network.It is understood that the dramatic arrest by Scotland Yard’s e-crime unit followed a major investigation by specialist detectives in the U.S.They had been alerted by staff at Facebook, which boasts more than 600million users, who had detected attempts to breach its systems.
The man, who has a background in computing, was arrested in York on Thursday evening. His computer and other electronic devices were seized and will be examined by forensic experts.The suspect could ultimately face extradition to the U.S., where he could face charges which carry a potential ten-year jail sentence. One source close to the inquiry said it was a ‘cloak and dagger’ operation that followed extensive discussions between the Metropolitan Police and the FBI.