DETROIT (AP) — Federal authorities announced on Tuesday that a Chinese scientist brought toxic fungi into the United States last year, concealed in his backpack. His girlfriend, who was employed at a lab at the University of Michigan, is also under scrutiny.
The pathogen, known as Fusarium graminearum, poses a threat to crops such as wheat, barley, corn, and rice, as well as to livestock and humans. The FBI has brought the case to court in Detroit.
A scientific journal referenced by the FBI describes the pathogen as “a potential weapon of agroterrorism.”
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are facing charges of conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements, and visa fraud.
US attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. stated, “These Chinese national suspects, who are confirmed members of the Chinese Communist Party, present significant national security concerns.”
Jian made a court appearance and was remanded to prison on Thursday to await a bond hearing. The attorney assigned for her initial appearance declined to comment.
In July 2024, Liu was removed from Detroit airport and returned to China after he altered his story during an interrogation regarding the materials he was carrying for the red plants.
Initially, he claimed to be unaware of the samples but later indicated that he intended to use them for research in the lab where Jian worked, and where Liu had previously been employed.
The FBI discovered a scientific article on Liu’s phone titled “Plant Pathogen War under Climate Conditions.”
Investigators revealed that Liu had communicated with Jian a week prior to his arrival in the US, stating, “I’m sorry I still have to work for you.”
Liu responded, “When this is done, everything else will be easier.”
A few months later, in February, FBI agents visited Jian at the campus lab, where she denied any wrongdoing. The FBI reported finding a statement on her phone showing her support for the Chinese Communist Party.
Messages exchanged between the two in 2024 indicated that Jian had already shown interest in Fusarium graminearum in her lab before being apprehended at the Detroit airport. The university lacks federal permission to handle this pathogen.
Given that the United States does not have an extradition treaty with China, Liu’s arrest remains improbable unless he returns.
Source: apnews.com