Italy Arrests Chinese 'State-Level' Spy Hacker, Extradites Him to US for Trial
Chinese national Xu Zewei, wanted by the U.S. for alleged hacker espionage, was arrested in Italy last July and recently extradited to the U.S. for trial. He is accused of participating in the Chinese government's large-scale hacking operation code-named "Hafnium," aimed at stealing U.S. government policy information globally.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 17:21
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 17:31 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 27, 2026 at 22:07 (4h 35m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Huang Ya-shih, Rome, 27th) Italian media revealed that Chinese national Xu Zewei, who was wanted by the United States for engaging in hacker espionage and was on the international wanted list, was arrested in Italy last July and has recently been extradited from Italy to the United States for trial. Xu is accused of participating in the Chinese government's large-scale hacking operation code-named "Hafnium," aimed at stealing U.S. government policy information globally.
33-year-old Xu Zewei was wanted by the U.S. for alleged industrial espionage and was arrested at Malpensa Airport in Italy last July. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report indicates that he was allegedly involved in a hacking organization that attempted to steal COVID-19 vaccine data being developed by the University of Texas and U.S. government secrets.
Xu Zewei lives in Shanghai and works for a computer company. U.S. authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him in November 2023. In his trial in Italian courts, Xu Zewei, through his lawyer, argued against extradition to the U.S. for trial, questioning whether he was the wrong person.
Italy's ANSA news agency reported on the 26th that the Italian Supreme Court recently rejected the defense's appeal, and the Italian Ministry of Justice also approved the extradition. Xu Zewei has arrived in the U.S.
The report quoted the FBI as stating that Xu Zewei was part of a hacker team and, in addition to obtaining vaccine information, he was instructed by the Chinese government to obtain classified information "related to U.S. government policy."
The report states that Xu Zewei is accused of committing wire fraud, identity theft, conspiracy to commit wire fraud (maximum penalty 20 years), and unauthorized access to a protected computer. Xu Zewei was arrested in Italy last year because the U.S. Embassy in Rome notified Italian police that Xu would arrive in Milan by plane from Shanghai.
The report points out that Xu Zewei and a group of Italian hackers (some identified, some unidentified) have been monitoring universities, immunologists, and virologists, particularly the University of Texas, since the outbreak of Covid-19.
The report quoted that Xu Zewei participated in a large-scale hacking operation orchestrated by the People's Republic of China, code-named "Hafnium," aimed at obtaining various U.S. government policy information, targeting thousands of computers worldwide. It is alleged that in late 2020, Xu and his accomplices exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server software and email-related flaws to attack a law firm and other organizations.
Prosecutors allege that the scheme involved gaining access to target computers through "communications." According to the FBI, one of the investigative focuses is an email account owned by the Chinese national, which contained "communication records between Xu and his accomplices regarding computer intrusions."
The report states that Xu Zewei appealed to the Italian court, claiming he was being "politically persecuted," arguing that he would face an unfair trial and risk of physical and mental abuse in the U.S., requesting not to be extradited. However, the Italian Supreme Court ultimately rejected the appeal and extradited him to the U.S. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150427
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(Central News Agency reporter Huang Ya-shih, Rome, 27th) Italian media revealed that Chinese national Xu Zewei, who was wanted by the United States for engaging in hacker espionage and was on the international wanted list, was arrested in Italy last July and has recently been extradited from Italy to the United States for trial. Xu is accused of participating in the Chinese government's large-scale hacking operation code-named "Hafnium," aimed at stealing U.S. government policy information globally.
33-year-old Xu Zewei was wanted by the U.S. for alleged industrial espionage and was arrested at Malpensa Airport in Italy last July. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report indicates that he was allegedly involved in a hacking organization that attempted to steal COVID-19 vaccine data being developed by the University of Texas and U.S. government secrets.
Xu Zewei lives in Shanghai and works for a computer company. U.S. authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him in November 2023. In his trial in Italian courts, Xu Zewei, through his lawyer, argued against extradition to the U.S. for trial, questioning whether he was the wrong person.
Italy's ANSA news agency reported on the 26th that the Italian Supreme Court recently rejected the defense's appeal, and the Italian Ministry of Justice also approved the extradition. Xu Zewei has arrived in the U.S.
The report quoted the FBI as stating that Xu Zewei was part of a hacker team and, in addition to obtaining vaccine information, he was instructed by the Chinese government to obtain classified information "related to U.S. government policy."
The report states that Xu Zewei is accused of committing wire fraud, identity theft, conspiracy to commit wire fraud (maximum penalty 20 years), and unauthorized access to a protected computer. Xu Zewei was arrested in Italy last year because the U.S. Embassy in Rome notified Italian police that Xu would arrive in Milan by plane from Shanghai.
The report points out that Xu Zewei and a group of Italian hackers (some identified, some unidentified) have been monitoring universities, immunologists, and virologists, particularly the University of Texas, since the outbreak of Covid-19.
The report quoted that Xu Zewei participated in a large-scale hacking operation orchestrated by the People's Republic of China, code-named "Hafnium," aimed at obtaining various U.S. government policy information, targeting thousands of computers worldwide. It is alleged that in late 2020, Xu and his accomplices exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server software and email-related flaws to attack a law firm and other organizations.
Prosecutors allege that the scheme involved gaining access to target computers through "communications." According to the FBI, one of the investigative focuses is an email account owned by the Chinese national, which contained "communication records between Xu and his accomplices regarding computer intrusions."
The report states that Xu Zewei appealed to the Italian court, claiming he was being "politically persecuted," arguing that he would face an unfair trial and risk of physical and mental abuse in the U.S., requesting not to be extradited. However, the Italian Supreme Court ultimately rejected the appeal and extradited him to the U.S. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150427
Stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
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The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.