US Government Confirms Arrest of Chinese National Accused of Stealing COVID Research and Mass-Hacking Email Servers

The US government has confirmed that a Chinese national, identified as Xu Zewei, has been arrested in Italy at the request of US prosecutors. The accused hacker is believed to have stolen sensitive COVID-19 research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and hacked into email servers belonging to major corporations.

Xu Zewei, a 35-year-old Chinese citizen, was taken into custody by Italian authorities on Wednesday at the request of US Special Agent in Charge David C. Cooney of the FBI's New York Field Office. The arrest is the latest development in an ongoing investigation led by US prosecutors that accuses Xu of using sophisticated hacking techniques to breach secure systems.

The alleged cyber attack, which is believed to have occurred between 2020 and 2022, targeted the NIH's email servers, as well as those of other major corporations, including tech giants and pharmaceutical companies. The stolen research, which includes sensitive information about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, was allegedly used by Xu to gain an advantage in the field of biotechnology.

The US government has been investigating Xu for over a year, tracing his digital footprints back to China, where he is believed to have operated from. The investigation was sparked by reports of suspicious activity on the dark web, where hackers sell and trade sensitive information.

According to sources close to the case, Xu's arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the ongoing US-China cyber espionage saga. While details of the alleged cyber attack remain classified, officials say that Xu's arrest is likely to lead to further arrests and prosecutions in both countries.

The FBI has issued a statement confirming the arrest and expressing gratitude for Italy's cooperation in the investigation. "The FBI takes intellectual property theft and cyber-enabled financial crimes very seriously," said Cooney. "We are committed to protecting our nation's critical infrastructure and sensitive information from those who would seek to exploit them."