Czech court to open hearing on Russian hacker extradition

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – A Russian man who faces charges in the United States of hacking computers at American companies is facing an extradition hearing at a Prague prison.

Yevgeniy Nikulin’s hearing on Tuesday is being held at Prague’s Pankrac prison — a rare measure that underlines the sensitivity of the case.

The hearing was originally scheduled for May 11 but was delayed due to objections from Nikulin’s lawyers.

Czech authorities arrested Nikulin in Prague on Oct. 5 in co-operation with the FBI after Interpol issued an international warrant. He is accused of hacking computers and stealing information from LinkedIn, Dropbox and other companies.

Moscow also wants him extradited on a separate charge of internet theft in 2009. Russian officials had previously said they were working to prevent his extradition to the U.S.