### Extradition and Charges **Xu Zewei** was extradited from Milan on Saturday and is now held at the Houston Federal Detention Center, according to his lawyer. He was initially arrested in July 2025 by Italian authorities following accusations by the U.S. of his involvement in a Chinese hacking group. This group allegedly breached systems at a Texas university to steal data related to COVID-19 vaccine research. ### Chinese Government Response The Chinese Foreign Ministry has criticized the Italian government's decision. **Xu** maintains his innocence, claiming mistaken identity. However, U.S. officials issued an arrest warrant last year, charging him with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorized access to protected computers. ### Indictment Details A nine-count indictment accuses **Xu** and co-defendant **Zhang Yu** of participating in “computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021,” including the widespread **HAFNIUM** campaign that compromised thousands of computers globally. This included the **Microsoft Exchange Server** attacks. ### Alleged State Sponsorship Prosecutors allege that **Xu** conducted these hacks under the direction of the Ministry of State Security (**MSS**) and Shanghai State Security Bureau (**SSSB**). The targets included U.S. universities, immunologists, and virologists involved in COVID-19 research. **Xu** reportedly confirmed compromising the network of a research university in the Southern District of Texas to his superiors at the **SSSB**. ### HAFNIUM/Silk Typhoon Involvement **Xu** is accused of significant involvement in cyberattacks attributed to **HAFNIUM**, also known as **Silk Typhoon**, a group with a history of targeting U.S. government agencies and large organizations. ### Potential Penalties If convicted on all charges, **Xu** faces a potential sentence of 77 years in prison. His alleged co-conspirator, **Zhang Yu**, remains at large.