Joseph O'Connor is set to fight against extradition to the US, where he faces several charges. Reuters
Joseph O'Connor is set to fight against extradition to the US, where he faces several charges. Reuters
Joseph O'Connor is set to fight against extradition to the US, where he faces several charges. Reuters
Joseph O'Connor is set to fight against extradition to the US, where he faces several charges. Reuters

British man accused of Twitter hack is jailed in Spain to await US extradition hearing


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

A British man held in Spain in connection with a Twitter hack last year that compromised the accounts of several US politicians, including Joe Biden, has been jailed pending an extradition hearing, a court source said.

Joseph O'Connor, 22, appeared at Spain's High Court via video link from the southern town of Estepona, where he was detained on Wednesday.

Mr O'Connor's lawyer, Inmaculada Garcia Lopez, said her client, who faces several charges in the US, told the court he opposed extradition and was innocent of all charges.

"When the police arrested him, he said: 'I'm innocent, show me the evidence, because I have no involvement,'" his mother Sandra O'Connor, an Estepona resident, told Reuters.

The family will fight against the extradition, he said.

It comes more than a month after the death of software mogul John McAfee in a Spanish prison, in what authorities believe was a suicide, while awaiting extradition to the US.

The July 2020 Twitter attack hijacked a variety of verified accounts, including those of Mr Biden, Democratic presidential candidate at the time, and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.

The accounts of notable figures such as former US president Barack Obama, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and rapper Kayne West were also affected.

The hacker used the accounts to solicit digital currency, prompting Twitter to prevent some verified accounts from publishing messages for several hours until security could be restored.

The High Court judge jailed Mr O'Connor as a precautionary measure after taking into account the flight risk and the seriousness of the case laid out by the US Justice Department.

The court is expected to set an extradition hearing in the next few months.

Ms O'Connor said her son asked to be released on bail for health reasons, but the request was denied.

"Joseph is only 22. He's never been arrested, he has never been in trouble and has very serious health problems – a back injury," she said.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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LA LIGA FIXTURES

Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)

Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

Other IPL batting records

Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle

Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir

Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)

Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell

Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)

Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar

Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle

Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir

Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)

Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)

 

Gifts exchanged
  • King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
  • Queen Camilla -  Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
  • Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
  • Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag

1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman

UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed

Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

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Stree

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5

%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson

Three stars

 

 

MATCH INFO

Manchester United v Everton
Where:
Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Updated: July 22, 2021, 8:20 PM