FBI extradites Chinese hacker accused of stealing COVID-19 research
The FBI has extradited Xu Zewei, a Chinese national accused of being a state-sponsored hacker, from Italy to the United States to face federal charges. He is alleged to have led cyberattacks between 2020 and 2021 that targeted U.S. institutions conducting COVID-19 research, stealing sensitive data on vaccines and treatments. U.S. officials claim the hacking was directed by China's Ministry of State Security and tied to the HAFNIUM cyber group. Xu now faces nine criminal counts, including wire fraud and unauthorized access to protected computers.
- ▪Xu Zewei, a Chinese national, was extradited to the U.S. from Italy and is accused of conducting cyberattacks on American research institutions during the pandemic.
- ▪The Justice Department alleges Xu stole COVID-19 research data from universities, virologists, and immunologists at the direction of China's Ministry of State Security.
- ▪Xu is facing nine federal charges, including wire fraud and unauthorized access to protected computers, with potential penalties of up to 20 years per wire fraud count.
- ▪U.S. officials say Xu was a key figure in HAFNIUM, a hacking group that compromised nearly 13,000 U.S. organizations.
- ▪FBI Director Kash Patel credited international cooperation with Italian authorities for Xu's capture and extradition.
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Cybercrime FBI extradites Chinese hacker accused of stealing COVID-19 research Xu Zewei's capture is 'historic win for our cybersecurity efforts under President Trump,' Kash Patel says By Greg Norman-Diamond Fox News Published April 28, 2026 2:00pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video The Role of China in the Iran war Paul Gigot interviews military analyst Seth Jones. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Chinese hacker accused of stealing COVID-19 research from U.S. institutions in a massive cyberattack has been extradited to American soil.
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