Zewei Xu, a 33-year-old Chinese national, was arrested on July 3 at Malpensa airport on a warrant issued by US officials. According to the FBI, Xu is one of several hackers involved in a large-scale cyber espionage operation. The accusations are centered on the intrusions into the computer systems of US universities, such as the University of Texas, which was conducting research on vaccines and anti-Covid therapies in 2020. Among the evidence gathered by American investigators is an email account ascribed to Xu, where interactions with other members of the purported gang and documents connected to cyber attack victims were allegedly discovered. US authorities also accuse him of participating in the global cyberattack effort known as "Hafnium", which Washington alleges was orchestrated by the Chinese government to collect information about US academic institutions, legal firms, and government programs. Xu's wife, who traveled to Italy with him for vacation, has disputed the claims, alleging that her husband is a computer technician for a Shanghai-based company. Xu is presently being imprisoned in Busto Arsizio while awaiting an extradition hearing planned for Tuesday. According to the American justice system, the formal charges against him encompass a broad range of offenses, including identity theft and computer fraud, and the potential penalties include a maximum of 20 years in prison.