Prague appeals court to rule on Russian hacker extradition

Martin Sadilek, an attorney for Yevgeniy Nikulin, a Russian man facing charges of hacking computers at American companies, prepares for an appeal allowing Nikulin’s extradition to the United States in a courtroom in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

A Prague appeals court is due to rule on an appeal by a Russian man who faces charges of hacking computers at American companies against a lower court decision allowing his extradition to the United States. Czech authorities arrested Yevgeniy Nikulin in Prague in cooperation with the FBI in October last year. He is accused by US prosecutors of penetrating computers at Silicon Valley firms including LinkedIn and Dropbox in 2012.

Moscow also wants him extradited on a separate charge of internet theft in 2009. Prague’s Municipal Court ruled in May that both extradition requests meet the necessary legal conditions. Nikulin appealed his extradition to both countries but later withdrew an appeal against extradition to Russia. If Friday’s ruling supports extradition to the US, the justice minister will have the final say.