A Chinese national, Xu Zewei, was arrested in Italy at the request of U.S. authorities for allegedly hacking American COVID-19 research on behalf of China’s government. The Department of Justice accuses Xu of targeting U.S. universities, immunologists, and virologists between February 2020 and June 2021. He allegedly acted under the direction of China’s MSS Shanghai State Security Bureau. Xu and co-conspirator Zhang Yu face a nine-count indictment in Texas, underscoring rising tensions between the U.S. and China over cyber-espionage and COVID-19’s origins.

Separately, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation for potential misconduct in the Trump–Russia probe. Sources say the DOJ is examining possible false statements and “conspiracy” related to the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). A recent review criticized the rushed inclusion of the discredited Steele dossier, which was pushed by Brennan despite internal warnings. The Trump White House has called for accountability, claiming the investigations confirm their long-standing allegations of political bias and misconduct by Obama-era intelligence leaders.