FBI Director Kash Patel revealed on Tuesday that two individuals from China face charges for illegally bringing a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. for research purposes at a University of Michigan lab.
According to Patel in an interview with Fox News, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are alleged to have received financial support from the Chinese government to conduct research, including work carried out at the University of Michigan. Authorities stated that the pair stands accused of importing a fungus known as “Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon,” as announced by the Justice Department.
“The complaint also alleges that Jian’s electronics contain information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party,” the department explained in a press release.
“It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America — through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport — so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” the release continued.
The FBI reports that the fungus can lead to “head blight,” a crop disease impacting grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. In the previous year alone, this disease was linked to billions in global agricultural losses.
Photo: University of Michigan
In a public address, Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that the DOJ “has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm.”
U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgan commented, “The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals — including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party — are of the gravest national security concerns. These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.”
In his remarks to Fox News, Kash Patel underscored the severity of the biosecurity threat posed by the case.
“This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives,” Patel said.
“Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage.”
Court documents allege that Liu, 34, is affiliated with a university in China where he investigates the same fungus. Prosecutors say “he first lied” but ultimately confessed to transporting Fusarium graminearum into the country via Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
The suspects are facing multiple federal charges, including conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa-related offenses, according to officials. Their first court appearances are anticipated later this week.
ARREST ALL CHICOMS AND SEND THEM TO HADES!!!!
Another blatant act of war by the chi-coms. Time for Trump to shut down all travel to and from China except for deporting ALL Chinese here on visas. He also needs to impose severe punitive tariffs making trade with them impossible. Their economy will crash in a mater of days or weeks.