Italian Government Decides to Extradite Xu Zewei to the United States

Apr 26, 2026, 20:21

Introduction

The Italian government has decided that Xu Zewei, a Chinese citizen detained in Milan, will be sent to the United States to face charges involving cyber-espionage and the theft of data.

Main Body

The decision follows a court ruling in April that allowed the extradition to proceed. Mr. Xu was arrested in Milan on July 3 after a request from U.S. authorities. Although the Italian government has not issued an official statement, Mr. Xu's lawyer, Enrico Giarda, stated that his client has not yet been formally informed of the decision. The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Mr. Xu of wire fraud and identity theft. These charges relate to alleged hacking activities that took place between February 2020 and June 2021. Specifically, the Department of Justice claimed that Mr. Xu worked for the Chinese government to steal sensitive medical research regarding COVID-19. This operation reportedly targeted academic institutions and experts in the U.S. who were developing vaccines and diagnostic tests. Furthermore, U.S. officials asserted that Mr. Xu was linked to a cyber-espionage group known as Hafnium. This group is accused of attacking thousands of computer systems worldwide in 2021, including several in the U.S. However, Mr. Xu's legal team criticized these claims, arguing that he was arrested because of a case of mistaken identity.

Conclusion

Xu Zewei is currently being held in Italy while the government prepares to transfer him to the United States, where he faces charges of state-sponsored cyber-espionage.

Vocabulary Learning

accused (v.)
to charge someone with wrongdoing / 指控
Example:The police accused him of fraud.
detained (adj.)
held in custody by authorities / 被拘留
Example:The suspect was detained pending further investigation.
diagnostic (adj.)
relating to identifying a problem or disease / 診斷的
Example:The diagnostic tests confirmed the infection.
extradition (n.)
the act of sending someone from one country to another for legal proceedings / the process of officially transferring a person between jurisdictions引渡
Example:The extradition of the suspect was approved after a court ruling.
hacking (n.)
illegal unauthorized access to computer systems / 黑客行為
Example:The company investigated a hacking incident last year.

Sentence Learning

Mr. Xu was arrested in Milan on July 3 after a request from U.S. authorities.
Passive Voice: The sentence uses the passive form 'was arrested' to describe an action performed on the subject by an external agent.被動語態: 此句使用被動語態「was arrested」來描述外部行為對主語的影響。
These charges relate to alleged hacking activities that took place between February 2020 and June 2021.
Relative Clause: The clause 'that took place between February 2020 and June 2021' adds essential information about the hacking activities.關係子句: 子句「that took place between February 2020 and June 2021」提供了關於駭客活動的必要資訊。
Although the Italian government has not issued an official statement, Mr. Xu's lawyer, Enrico Giarda, stated that his client has not yet been formally informed of the decision.
Contrastive Conjunction: The word 'Although' introduces a contrast between the lack of an official statement and the lawyer's claim.對比連接詞: 「Although」引入了官方聲明缺失與律師主張之間的對比。
This operation reportedly targeted academic institutions and experts in the U.S. who were developing vaccines and diagnostic tests.
Relative Clause (who): The clause 'who were developing vaccines and diagnostic tests' describes the experts targeted by the operation.關係子句 (who): 子句「who were developing vaccines and diagnostic tests」說明了被該行動針對的專家。
Xu Zewei is currently being held in Italy while the government prepares to transfer him to the United States, where he faces charges of state-sponsored cyber-espionage.
Relative Clause (where) + Conjunction: The clause 'where he faces charges' and the conjunction 'while' show location and simultaneous actions.關係子句 (where) + 連接詞: 子句「where he faces charges」與連接詞「while」同時表達地點與並行動作。