ITALY plans to extradite Xu Zewei to the United States over cyber-espionage charges, according to Bloomberg. The Chinese national—arrested in 2025 at Milan’s Malpensa Airport on a U.S. warrant—has been linked by Italian authorities to a China state-backed hacking ecosystem known as Hafnium, also called Silk Typhoon.
Prosecutors say he targeted universities and researchers working on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and testing between 2020 and 2021, with operations described as part of broader, politically motivated cyber intrusions. Xu Zewei’s case is framed as part of efforts to address espionage conducted under state auspices, while his family and wife have publicly opposed the extradition.
Italian police seized documents and devices in connection with the U.S. request, and the legal process is presented as part of a wider diplomatic and security approach to deter such cyber operations.