US seeks extradition of Chinese man held in Italy accused of hacking to steal Covid-19 vaccine research

Italian authorities have arrested a Chinese man accused by US prosecutors of being part of a hacking team that stole coveted US research into a coronavirus vaccine on behalf of Chinese intelligence.

At the height of the pandemic in early 2020, Xu Zewei worked at the behest of China’s Ministry of State Security, to target US-based universities, virologists and immunologists doing research on Covid-19 vaccines, treatment and testing, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The indictment accuses another person, Zhang Yu, of participating in the activity. Zhang is believed to be in China, a Justice Department spokesperson said.

Xu, 33, was detained at the Malpensa Airport northwest of Milan on July 3 and then taken to a nearby prison ahead of his court appearance, according to statements to CNN from Italian authorities. He made his initial court appearance in Milan on Tuesday as the US Justice Department begins to try to extradite Xu to the US District of South Texas, where he faces wire fraud, identity theft and hacking-related charges.

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