The FBI arrested two Chinese citizens, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, on Tuesday after they were caught allegedly trying to smuggle a potentially devastating fungal “agroterrorism weapon” into the U.S.
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“This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences… putting American lives and our economy at serious risk. Your FBI will continue working tirelessly to be on guard against it,” said FBI Director Kash Patel on X.
According to a criminal complaint, the two Chinese citizens were arrested for their alleged involvement in a scheme to smuggle the Fusarium graminearum fungus into the University of Michigan, where Jian worked, via the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., warned that the actions of Jian and Liu pose the “gravest national security concerns.” The fungus involved in the smuggling operation is responsible for “head blight,” a disease that devastates wheat, barley, maize, and rice, causes billions of dollars worth of economic damage annually, and causes vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive harm in humans and livestock.
Liu allegedly works at a Chinese university studying the fungus, while Jian, his girlfriend, worked as a researcher at the University of Michigan. She previously received funding from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to study the devastating fungus in her home country.
Upon his arrest, Liu initially denied smuggling the potential biological weapon into the U.S., before allegedly admitting that he had brought the pathogen in via the Detroit airport, intending to transport it to the laboratory where his girlfriend worked for further study.
“These individuals exploited their access to laboratory facilities at a local university to engage in the smuggling of biological pathogens, an act that posed an imminent threat to public safety. Thanks to the exceptional investigative efforts of the FBI Detroit Counterintelligence Task Force, in close cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations these dangerous activities have been effectively halted,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
An FBI review of Jian’s electronic devices revealed that she is a loyal member and avid supporter of the CCP, suggesting potential Chinese government involvement in the scheme that could have devastated U.S. domestic food production.
Given the concerning amount of U.S. farmland owned by CCP-aligned companies, it would likely have been a simple matter for Jian and Liu to spread the “agroterrorism” agent across the nation’s food supply.
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The FBI and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are currently investigating the case, and both Chinese citizens have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, making false statements, and visa fraud.
It remains unclear to what extent the alleged scheme will have any impact on already strained U.S.-China relations.
