Italy to Extradite Chinese Hacker Xu Zewei Wanted by US for COVID-19 Research Theft

Severity: Medium (Score: 57.0)

Sources: Straitstimes, Uk.News.Yahoo, Bloomberg, Globalbankingandfinance, Devdiscourse

Summary

The Italian government has decided to extradite Xu Zewei, a Chinese national wanted by U.S. authorities for hacking charges related to the theft of COVID-19 medical research. Xu was arrested in Milan on July 3, 2025, at the request of the U.S., which accuses him of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The U.S. Justice Department alleges that Xu was part of a cyber-espionage group known as Hafnium, which targeted U.S.-based universities and researchers from February 2020 to June 2021. An Italian court ruled earlier this month that Xu could be extradited, leading to the government's decision. Xu's lawyer claims that his client is a victim of mistaken identity and has not received any official communications regarding the extradition. The extradition is part of a broader effort by the U.S. to combat state-sponsored cyber threats. The case highlights ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China regarding cybersecurity and espionage. Key Points: • Xu Zewei, a Chinese hacker, is being extradited from Italy to the U.S. for cyber crimes. • He is accused of stealing COVID-19 research as part of a state-sponsored hacking operation. • Xu was arrested in July 2025 and claims to be a victim of mistaken identity.

Key Entities

• Hafnium (apt_group)
• Data Breach (attack_type)
• Italy (country)