Italy extradites ‘dangerous foreign hacker’ from China needed by US authorities | EUROtoday

A Chinese nationwide sought by U.S. authorities on hacking fees, together with the alleged theft of COVID-19 medical analysis, has been extradited from Italy to the United States.

Italian police confirmed the handover on Monday, following earlier experiences.

Xu Zewei was apprehended in Milan final July on the request of U.S. officers.

He faces accusations of wire fraud and aggravated identification theft for his alleged involvement in pc piracy actions that reportedly occurred between February 2020 and June 2021.

Italian police characterised Xu as “a dangerous foreign hacker,” stating he was transferred to the U.S. to reply fees of legal conspiracy, unauthorized entry to pc techniques, pc fraud, and identification theft.

The U.S. Justice Department confirmed the extradition on Monday, asserting that court docket paperwork allege Xu hacked U.S. universities and researchers centered on COVID-19 vaccines, therapies, and testing.

The division additional claims he reported to supervising officers beneath China’s Ministry of State Security, which allegedly directed the hacking.

John Marck, performing U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said, “Today, Xu Zewei will stand in a federal courtroom to answer for crimes that struck at the heart of American science and security.”

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday voiced opposition to the U.S. “fabricating charges through political manipulation,” urging Italy to “respect facts and law, immediately correct its mistake” and keep away from “becoming an accomplice of the U.S.”

Xu’s lawyer beforehand maintained his consumer was a sufferer of mistaken identification. The Justice Department additionally alleges Xu was a part of the Hafnium cyber-espionage group in 2021, which infiltrated 1000’s of computer systems globally, together with within the U.S.