Arrested in Milan. Xu Zewei, a 33-year-old Chinese national residing in Shanghai, was arrested on 3 July at Milan Malpensa Airport by Italian police.
- The arrest, carried out under a US-issued warrant from the Southern District of Texas, is linked to an alleged cyber espionage campaign targeting American Covid-19 vaccine research and government policy databases.
The allegations. According to the FBI, Xu is a member of Hafnium—a Chinese state-linked hacker group also known as Silk Typhoon by Microsoft—which allegedly orchestrated a sweeping 2020 cyber campaign.
- The operation targeted virologists, immunologists, and research centres, including the University of Texas, in an attempt to steal proprietary vaccine research.
- US authorities also link Xu to broader Chinese government efforts to infiltrate sensitive American infrastructure and data systems.
- US documents describe Xu as facing multiple charges: wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy, and unauthorised access to protected computers.
- These carry a maximum sentence of 32 years.
- Beyond healthcare data, the campaign allegedly aimed to obtain sensitive information about US government policies.
The suspect’s profile. Defended by lawyer Enrico Giarda, Xu has presented himself as a mere technician employed by GTA Semiconductor Co Ltd, on holiday in Italy.
- His wife stated they were both unaware of any charges, rejecting extradition to the US.
- Xu reportedly has no prior criminal record or connections to Italy.
- On 4 July, Judge Veronica Tallarida of Milan’s Fifth Criminal Appeal Division validated the arrest, ordered pre-trial detention, and authorised the seizure of Xu’s mobile phone for forensic analysis.
- Citing flight risk, the court highlighted Xu’s lack of ties to Italy.
Alias, alerts and American pressure. Italian authorities were alerted to Xu’s arrival by the US Embassy in Rome.
- According to a document from the International Police Cooperation Service of the Italian Interior Ministry, Xu landed in Milan from Shanghai around 8 a.m. on 3 July and is known to use the aliases “Zavier Xu” and “David Xu”.
- The US also requested the seizure of all personal items and devices at the time of arrest.
- Currently detained in Busto Arsizio prison near Milan, Xu is scheduled to appear before the Court of Appeal on Tuesday for formal identification and to state his position on extradition, which, his defence says, will be opposed.
- The Milan Prosecutor General’s Office is currently reviewing the case and will issue its formal opinion once all relevant documentation has been examined.
A diplomatic wild card. The arrest raises questions about how Beijing will respond.
- Observers note past instances of “hostage diplomacy”—whether through retaliatory detentions (as in the Iranian case involving Cecilia Sala) or covert extraction efforts (as in the Artem Uss case with Russia).
- All eyes are now on Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is set to travel to China in the coming days.
A familiar warning from Washington. In a 1 July memo to Italian authorities, the US Department of Justice warned that Xu poses a serious flight risk if released from custody, even under house arrest.
- The warning explicitly referenced the precedent of Russian oligarch Artem Uss, who escaped Italian custody while awaiting extradition to the US.
