Italy extradites suspected Chinese hacker wanted by US authorities, says source
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The suspected hacker was arrested in Milan, Italy, at the request of the US authorities, who have accused him of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MILAN – The Italian government has extradited to the US a Chinese man wanted by the authorities there on hacking charges that include stealing Covid-19 medical research, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The source declined to say when Xu was flown out of Italy, saying only that he was already in the US. The move follows a ruling by a top Italian court earlier in April allowing the extradition.
Xu was arrested in Milan on July 3 at the request of the US authorities, who have accused him of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his alleged role in computer piracy acts that took place between February 2020 and June 2021.
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry on April 27 said China opposed the US “fabricating charges through political manipulation” and urged Italy to “respect facts and law, immediately correct its mistake” and avoid “becoming an accomplice of the US”.
Following his arrest, Xu’s lawyer said his client had been a victim of mistaken identity.
The US Justice Department (DOJ) alleges that Xu has been hacking and stealing crucial Covid-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government.
The DOJ has said that Xu was part of a team of cyberexperts who in 2020 targeted US-based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into Covid19 vaccines, treatment, and testing.
The DOJ also alleges that in 2021, Xu was part of a cyberespionage group known as Hafnium, which infiltrated thousands of computers worldwide, including in the US. REUTERS
