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2w ago

Two Chinese researchers charged with smuggling potential agroterrorism fungus into US

Prosecutors say Fusarium graminearum was brought into a University of Michigan lab for unauthorized research, triggering national security alerts over agricultural biothreats.

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Samples of a pathogen identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as Fusarium graminearum, a fungus it said was classified in scientific literature as a potential agroterrorism weapon, are seen in a criminal complaint by the FBI against Chinese researcher Zunyong Liu and his girlfriend Yunqing Jian dated June 2, 2025. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
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Overview

  • Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu face federal conspiracy, smuggling, false statements and visa fraud charges under an indictment unsealed June 3.
  • Officials allege Liu concealed samples of Fusarium graminearum in his luggage at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July 2024 to supply Jian’s laboratory.
  • Prosecutors contend Jian received Chinese government funding for her pathogen studies and pledged loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party, a claim the University of Michigan disputes.
  • Jian is held in federal custody in Detroit while Liu remains in China where extradition is unlikely without a treaty.
  • The FBI and U.S. Customs are continuing their investigation with warnings that gaps in pathogen screening threaten the security of the U.S. food supply.