Rome, April 27, 2026 – The Europe Today: Italy has approved the extradition of a Chinese national to the United States over allegations of cyber espionage, including the theft of sensitive COVID-19 medical research, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The decision follows a ruling earlier this month by an Italian court permitting the extradition of Xu Zewei, who is wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple charges, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Xu was arrested in Milan on July 3 at the request of U.S. officials, who allege his involvement in a series of cyberattacks carried out between February 2020 and June 2021. His lawyer, Enrico Giarda, told Reuters that his client has not yet received formal communication regarding the extradition decision and has maintained that Xu is a victim of mistaken identity.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Xu was part of a group of cyber operatives who targeted American universities, immunologists, and virologists engaged in critical COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, and testing research during the height of the pandemic.
The department further alleges that Xu was linked to the cyber-espionage group Hafnium, which in 2021 infiltrated thousands of computer systems worldwide, including networks in the United States.
Prosecutors claim the hacking activities were conducted at the behest of the Chinan government, though Beijing has consistently denied involvement in cyber espionage operations.
The Italian government has not publicly commented on the decision, which underscores growing international cooperation on cybercrime and reflects increasing scrutiny of state-linked hacking activities targeting sensitive global research.
