In brief: Gadhafi’s killers also likely executed dozens of backers

Washington – Rebels who ambushed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s convoy not only probably killed the strongman and his son after capture but also summarily executed more than 60 of his supporters in a nearby hotel, according to the most detailed examination to date of Gadhafi’s grisly last moments after he fell into the hands of U.S.-backed rebel forces one year ago Saturday.

The report, by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, calls the deaths “among the most clear-cut instances of extrajudicial executions carried out by opposition fighters.” The report is to be released today.

British computer hacker wins case to avoid extradition

London – A British computer hacker’s decade-long struggle to avoid trial in the U.S. over alleged breaches of military and NASA networks ended in success Tuesday, as the U.K. government ruled he was unfit to face charges there.

Home Secretary Theresa May said she had blocked the U.S. request to extradite Gary McKinnon after medical experts concluded he was seriously depressed and that there was “a high risk of him ending his life.”

The 46-year-old unemployed computer administrator was accused of one of the largest-ever breaches of military networks, carried out soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.