(Clarifies in this July 7 story’s third paragraph that the U.S. Justice Department says a university in Texas was targeted and removes reference to the University of Texas)
MILAN (Reuters) -Italian police have arrested a 33-year-old Chinese man who is wanted by the U.S. authorities over alleged industrial espionage which targeted projects including efforts to develop a COVID vaccine, legal and judicial sources said on Monday.
The man, identified as Xu Zewei from Shanghai, was picked up last week after he arrived at Milan’s Malpensa airport on a U.S. arrest warrant as part of an FBI investigation.
U.S. authorities allege that he was part of a team of hackers who in 2020 hacked and otherwise targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologist, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. The U.S. Justice Department says a research university located in the Southern District of Texas was also targeted.
He faces an extradition hearing in Milan on Tuesday. Enrico Giarda, the Italian lawyer representing the suspect, declined to comment on the case.
The charges listed on the U.S. arrest warrant are wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and unauthorised access to protected computers.
(Reporting by Alfredo Faieta and Emilio Parodi in Milan; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Alison Williams)
