He is currently residing in Canada, but he might be deported

Sep 17, 2013 09:01 GMT  ·  By

30-year-old US citizen Matthew Paul DeHart was recently released from a Canadian prison where he was held for five months. Canadian authorities now want to deport him because of alleged espionage against the country’s national interests.

According to the National Post, DeHart’s story began in 2010 when he was arrested in the US for the manufacturing and distribution of illegal child abuse content.

However, the man says this is not the real reason why US authorities want him. The real reason is that he’s one of the founding members of the Anonymous hacker movement.

The FBI is after him because of the national security information he leaked as an Anonymous hacker, DeHart says. He accuses the agency of drugging him and subjecting him to psychological torture while being detained in 2010.

The hacker claims that US agents want to retrieve the documents he stole and investigate him for espionage, the child abuse content charges being merely a ruse to get him back in the country.

Last year, after being released on bail, DeHart and his parents went to Canada before he could face trial.

In April 2013, they claimed refugee protection, arguing that DeHart would be once again psychologically tortured and prosecuted if he returned to the US.

He was diagnosed with a psychotic break and has shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder allegedly caused by the torture.

The man maintains that the government documents he had leaked as an Anonymous hacker are the root of his problems.

It’s worth noting that DeHart had top secret clearance at the US Air National Guard. However, he was discharged after being deemed incompatible with remotely flying drones because he was prone to depression.

DeHart is currently under GPS monitoring. He is in the care of his parents somewhere in the Toronto area.