FBI Director Kash Patel sounded the alarm after federal authorities charged a Chinese couple with smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the country that could potentially represent a threat to the food supply.
Chinese citizens Yunqing Jian, a research fellow at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu were charged with “conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud” in a criminal complaint announced by the Justice Department on Tuesday.
The pair are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the country, allegedly for study, a substance “which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon” and causes a “head blight,” which is “a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and “is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year,” according to the DOJ.
(Video Credit: Fox News)
“This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives,” Patel told Fox News Digital.
“Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage,” the FBI boss added.
“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,” Patel said in a post to X.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns,” United States Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. “These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.”
“Jian received Chinese government funding for her work on this pathogen in China. The complaint also alleges that Jian’s electronics contain information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America—through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport—so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” according to the complaint.
“Liu stated that he intentionally hid the samples in his backpack because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” the complaint reads, according to NBC News. “Liu confirmed that he had intentionally put the samples in a wad of tissues so CBP Officers would be less likely to find and confiscate them, and he could continue his research in the United States.”
“A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is completed, a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment,” the Justice Department stated.
“We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security, or undermine the university’s critical public mission. It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution,” the University of Michigan said in a statement.
As the Trump administration moves to crack down on foreign radicals who are infiltrating domestic colleges and universities, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said that he would be “aggressively” revoking student visas for citizens of China, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”
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