Alleged China-linked hacker extradited to US in rare case; Kash Patel defends Italy trip role

Kash Patel said a previously questioned trip to Italy in early 2026 helped pave the way for the arrest of a Chinese national accused of hacking US COVID-19 research systems. The suspect, Xu Zewei, is now in US custody after what Patel described as a coordinated operation with Italian authorities. Officials say it is a rare case involving the extradition of an alleged state-linked hacker to the United States. Xu was extradited from Italy in recent days and faces federal charges tied to a 2020–2021 cyber campaign targeting sensitive COVID-19 research, including vaccine and treatment development efforts.

Patel told Fox News Digital the FBI was able to ‘directly tie’ Xu to China’s Ministry of State Security and its Shanghai bureau, though some details remain classified pending declassification. He said the arrest resulted from close coordination with Italian officials led by Prefect Vittorio Pisani of the Italian National Police, executed within a narrow legal window to prevent delays in extradition. Officials from both countries worked to ensure Xu remained in Italy long enough for the operation to proceed. "We created an opportunity with our partners in Italy to have him apprehended there," Patel said.

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Patel said the same Italy trip, previously criticized due to his attendance at Olympic events, also helped lay the groundwork for the case. He described Xu as one of the top two cyber criminals in the world for China, alleging involvement in hacking US universities and researchers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We were able to bring him to Houston for prosecution, which is most of what I was doing when people said I was on vacation in Italy," Patel said.

According to the indictment, Xu allegedly reported to Chinese intelligence after infiltrating a US research university in 2020 and was directed to access accounts of virologists and immunologists studying COVID-19. Officials also allege Chinese authorities attempted to block the extradition in recent days. Patel cited past cases where suspected Chinese operatives avoided extradition, including one in 2025 involving a suspect returned from Serbia to China.

Prosecutors say Xu was part of the broader “HAFNIUM” hacking campaign that exploited Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities, affecting thousands of systems worldwide, including over 12,000 in the United States. Among the targets was a Washington-based law firm, where attackers allegedly searched emails tied to U.S. policymakers and government agencies. Xu’s alleged co-conspirator remains at large.

Patel said countering Chinese cyber espionage remains a top priority for the FBI. "The MSS is always a target of the FBI. They’re always operating whether it’s to steal our classified information, our nation’s research and scientific information, or anything they can use to embarrass us or leverage against us," Patel said. “They’re going to keep doing it.” He added, "We’ve arrested more Chinese spies than any FBI before me," and said the crackdown will continue.