Rome | July 10, 2025 : A Chinese national accused of stealing sensitive COVID-19 research data has been arrested in Italy, according to officials. The man, wanted by the United States for his role in a major cyber-espionage campaign, is believed to be a member of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as Hafnium. He was detained at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport after Interpol issued a red notice requested by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Authorities have not released the name of the suspect, but confirmed he is in his 30s and holds Chinese citizenship. He is now in Italian custody while the U.S. moves to extradite him. If extradited, he will face multiple charges, including computer fraud, identity theft, and the theft of protected health and research data during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. alleges that the suspect was part of Hafnium, a group that gained international attention in 2021 when it exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange email servers. That cyberattack impacted thousands of organizations worldwide, including hospitals, universities, private companies, and government agencies. According to U.S. cybersecurity officials, the group accessed sensitive emails, installed malware, and extracted critical research data, much of it related to COVID-19 treatments and vaccine development.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) described the 2021 attack as one of the most damaging in recent history. The U.S. government has long maintained that Hafnium operates with the backing of China’s government, although China has denied this, calling the accusations politically motivated.

U.S. authorities have filed a formal request to extradite the arrested man and are now working with the Italian judicial system to bring him to the United States for trial. A court hearing in Italy is expected soon to decide the extradition. The U.S. Embassy in Rome issued a statement thanking Italian law enforcement for their cooperation, saying that the arrest was an important step in protecting international research and cybersecurity.

China has not yet responded officially to the arrest, but in previous cases has strongly denied any link to cyberattacks conducted by groups like Hafnium. Beijing has claimed that it opposes cybercrime in all forms and has often accused the United States of its own cyber operations around the world.

The arrest has once again drawn global attention to the risks posed by state-sponsored cybercrime, especially when it targets critical sectors like healthcare during times of crisis. As countries tighten cybersecurity laws and increase international cooperation, this case could set an important precedent for how such cross-border crimes are handled in the future.