A man accused of carrying out cyberattacks on behalf of China’s government has been extradited to the United States and faces over a decade in prison if convicted. Xu Zewei was arrested last year in Italy at the request of U.S. authorities, and his lawyer confirmed he is now in detention in Houston, Texas.

Last year, U.S. prosecutors accused Xu of working for China’s Ministry of State Security to target several U.S. universities early in 2020, allegedly stealing research related to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also involved in hacking thousands of Microsoft Exchange email servers starting in March 2021 as part of an “indiscriminate” campaign by a Chinese-backed group known as Hafnium.

The Chinese Embassy has not responded to comments on Xu’s extradition, while the U.S. Justice Department announced its involvement in this case and the initial charges against Xu. In 2022, Yanjun Xu was sentenced to 20 years for hacking crimes, marking the first time a Chinese government intelligence officer was extradited to the United States.

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China over cyber espionage, with many suspected hackers still at large. The Financial Times reported that the Chinese Foreign Ministry opposed Xu’s extradition and accused the U.S. of fabricating cases against him.