Italian police have arrested a Chinese man wanted in connection with an FBI investigation into cyber espionage targeting projects including COVID-19 vaccine development, Italian media reported on July 7.
The suspect, Xu Zewei, 33, was detained on July 3 at Milan’s Malpensa Airport upon arrival. He is scheduled to appear before the Milan Court of Appeal on July 8 for a hearing regarding an extradition request from the United States.
Xu is accused of participating in a large-scale cyber espionage operation targeting American universities and researchers, Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing documents provided by the Italian Interior Ministry summarizing the charges.
The FBI alleges that, beginning in February 2020, Xu was directed by the Chinese Ministry of State Security to infiltrate the computer systems of multiple U.S. universities, immunologists, and virologists, specifically those working to develop a COVID-19 vaccine at the University of Texas. …