Chinese University of Michigan researcher charged with plotting to spread 'agroterrorism weapon'
Two Chinese citizens have been charged with attempting to smuggle a bioweapon into the United States through one of the individual’s work with a laboratory at the University of Michigan.
Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, were charged on Tuesday with conspiracy, smuggling, and visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Two Chinese citizens have been charged with attempting to smuggle a bioweapon into the United States through one of the individual’s work with a laboratory at the University of Michigan.
Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, were charged on Tuesday with conspiracy, smuggling, and visa fraud, according to the Department of Justice’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The researchers brought the Fusarium graminearum fungus into the U.S., which can cause a disease in wheat, rice, and other crops. If ingested, that fungus can cause vomiting and reproductive damage in people, among other symptoms.
Jian, who is a research fellow at Michigan, allegedly received funding from the Chinese government to work on the pathogen. Liu, Jian’s boyfriend, allegedly conducts research into the fungus at a Chinese university.
As of publishing time, Jian is still listed as a fellow on Michigan’s website.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a press release about the two individuals.
“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,” Gorgon continued.
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News on Tuesday that the Chinese Communist Party has continued “to deploy operatives” in order to “target our food supply” in an attempt to “cripple our economy and endanger American lives.”
“Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security,” Patel added. “I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage.”
Recently, several other elite schools have come under scrutiny for their ties to China, including Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University.
In May, a spokesperson for the Department of State asserted that the administration planned to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s “exploitation” of American universities’ research, intellectual property, and technology.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision - every single one of them,” Tammy Bruce stated.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.