FBI says it foiled a researcher's plan to bring toxic fungus from China to a US university lab

By&nbspEuronews&nbspwith&nbspAP

Published connected 04/06/2025 - 10:48 GMT+2•Updated 11:49

A Chinese intelligence entered nan United States past twelvemonth pinch a toxic fungus stashed successful his backpack, according to national authorities who revenge charges against him and a woman who worked successful a assemblage lab.

The pathogen is known arsenic Fusarium graminearum, which tin onslaught wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and sicken livestock and people, nan US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said successful a tribunal filing successful Detroit, Michigan.

The FBI said a technological diary describes it arsenic a "potential agroterrorism weapon".

On Tuesday, authorities charged Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, pinch conspiracy, smuggling, making mendacious statements, and visa fraud.

"The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals, including a loyal personnel of nan Chinese Communist Party, are of nan gravest nationalist information concerns," US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr said.

Jian appeared successful tribunal and was returned to jailhouse to await a enslaved proceeding connected Thursday. An lawyer who was assigned only for her first quality declined to comment.

Backpack discovery

In July 2024, Liu was turned distant astatine nan Detroit airdrome and sent backmost to China aft changing his communicative during an interrogation astir reddish works worldly discovered successful his backpack, nan FBI said.

He initially claimed ignorance astir nan samples but later said he was readying to usage nan worldly for investigation astatine a University of Michigan laboratory wherever Jian worked and wherever Liu antecedently worked, nan FBI said.

The FBI said authorities recovered a technological article connected Liu's telephone that was titled, "Plant-Pathogen Warfare nether Changing Climate Conditions”.

A week earlier arriving successful nan US, according to investigators, Liu exchanged messages pinch Jian, who said, "It’s a pity that I still person to activity for you".

The FBI said Liu replied: "Once this is done, everything other will beryllium easy".

Months later, successful February, FBI agents visited Jian astatine nan field lab. She said, "100 per cent no," erstwhile asked if she had been assisting Liu pinch nan pathogen astatine nan lab.

The FBI said it recovered a signed connection connected her telephone expressing her support for nan Communist Party of China.

Messages betwixt nan 2 successful 2024 propose that Jian was already tending to Fusarium graminearum astatine nan field laboratory earlier Liu was caught astatine nan Detroit airport, nan FBI said.

The assemblage does not person national permits to grip it.

The US does not person an extradition pact pinch China, which makes Liu's apprehension improbable unless he returns.