- Friday, June 06, 2025
The researchers have been charged with smuggling a toxic fungus, Fusarium graminearum, a potential agroterrorism weapon, to conduct studies in the US
By: India Weekly
TWO Chinese scientists have been charged with allegedly smuggling a toxic fungus, a potential agricultural terrorism weapon, into the United States, the Justice Department said Tuesday (3).
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement.
Jian is in US custody while Liu’s whereabouts are unknown.
According to an FBI criminal complaint, Liu, a researcher currently in China, brought the fungus into the US while visiting his girlfriend, Jian, in July 2024.
The Justice Department identified the pathogen as Fusarium graminearum, a fungus classified in scientific literature as a potential agroterrorism weapon.
New… I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country.
The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called “Fusarium graminearum,” which is an…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 3, 2025
In a statement, it said that the fungus causes “head blight” in crops including wheat, barley, maize, and rice; and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses globally each year.
The fungus causes vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock, it added.
According to the complaint, Jian and Liu had previously conducted work on the fungus in China.
“(Liu) first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America… so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” the Justice Department said.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the complaint, an examination of electronic communications between the two indicated that they discussed shipping biological materials and research being done in the laboratory prior to Liu’s arrival.
US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr described the smuggling of the fungus into the United States as a “national security” concern and emphasized Jian’s membership in the Chinese Communist Party.
“These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme,” Gorgon said.
Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said the pair’s actions “posed an imminent threat to public safety.”
Jian was expected to appear in court in Detroit, Michigan and a public defender has been appointed to represent her.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed last week to “aggressively revoke visas” for Chinese students, a move condemned by Beijing as “unreasonable” and “discriminatory.”
Kseniia Petrova, a scientist from Russia at Harvard, is facing potential deportation after she failed to declare biological samples in her luggage upon returning from a trip to Paris. (Agencies)
