MILAN, April 27 (Reuters) - Italy has extradited to the U.S. a Chinese man wanted by authorities there on hacking charges that include stealing COVID-19 medical research, Italian police said on Monday, confirming earlier reports.
Xu Zewei was arrested in Milan last July at the request of U.S. 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.
In a statement, Italian police described him as "a dangerous foreign hacker" who was handed over to U.S. authorities to answer charges of criminal conspiracy, unauthorized access to computer systems, computer fraud and identity theft.
A source earlier told Reuters that Xu was already on U.S. soil, without saying when he had been flown there. His transfer follows a ruling by a top Italian court earlier this month allowing the extradition.
The U.S. Justice Department confirmed the extradition in a statement on Monday, saying that based on court documents Xu allegedly hacked U.S. universities and researchers studying COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. He then reported to supervising officers under China's Ministry of State Security, which directed the hacking, it said.
"Today, Xu Zewei will stand in a federal courtroom to answer for crimes that struck at the heart of American science and security," John Marck, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in the statement.
A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said China opposed the U.S. "fabricating charges through political manipulation" and urged Italy to "respect facts and law, immediately correct its mistake" and avoid "becoming an accomplice of the U.S."
Following his arrest, Xu's lawyer said his client had been a victim of mistaken identity.
The DOJ also alleges that in 2021, Xu was part of a cyber-espionage group known as Hafnium, which infiltrated thousands of computers worldwide, including in the U.S.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi and Crispian Balmer; Additional reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome, Joe Cash in Beijing and Michael Martina in Washington; Writing by Valentina Za; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Thomas Derpinghaus and Keith Weir)
