Latest news with #toxicfungus
Sky News
2 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
Chinese nationals accused of smuggling 'agroterrorism' fungus into US
A Chinese national has been charged with smuggling a toxic fungus into the US, the FBI has said. Zunyong Liu, 34, flew into Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July last year with fusarium graminearum - a pathogen which can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice, and sicken livestock and people, according to court documents. According to the FBI, the fungus is classified as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" in scientific literature, and its toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock. Liu was turned away at the airport and sent back to China after changing his story during interrogation, first claiming ignorance about the samples, before admitting that he had planned to use the material for research at a University of Michigan lab where his girlfriend Yunqing Jian, 33, works as a postdoctoral fellow. The bureau said authorities found a scientific article on Liu's phone titled "Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions". Investigators said that a week before Liu arrived in the US, he exchanged messages with Jian, who said: "It's a pity that I still have to work for you," with her boyfriend replying: "Once this is done, everything else will be easy." In February this year, FBI agents went to Jian's lab on the University of Michigan campus and asked her whether she had been assisting Liu with the pathogen at the lab, to which she said "100% no". This came as messages between the couple from 2024 suggest that Jian was already tending to fusarium graminearum at the campus lab, where Liu previously worked, before he was caught at the Detroit airport, the FBI highlighted. The university does not have federal permits to handle it. The institution said in a statement that it "has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals". Jian, who expressed support for the Chinese Communist Party in a signed statement on her phone, received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China, according to the court filing. Liu, who researches the same pathogen at a Chinese university, allegedly brought it to the US "so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory" where his girlfriend worked. Jian and Liu were charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud, according to United States attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. Mr Gorgon called the allegations against the two Chinese nationals "of the gravest national security concerns". A spokesperson for the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs told our US partner network NBC that it was not aware of the case and that its government "has always required Chinese citizens overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, while also safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law". Jian, who is held in jail, is set to appear in federal court for a bond hearing on Thursday afternoon. A lawyer who was assigned only for her initial appearance declined to comment. Since Liu is in China, with which the US has no extradition treaty, his arrest is unlikely unless he returns. FBI director Kash Patel said in : "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.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
Chinese nationals accused of smuggling 'agroterrorism' fungus into US, FBI says
A Chinese national has been charged with smuggling a toxic fungus into the US, the FBI has said. Zunyong Liu, 34, flew into Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July last year with fusarium graminearum - a pathogen which can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice, and sicken livestock and people, according to court documents. According to the FBI, the fungus is classified as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" in scientific literature, and its toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock. Liu was turned away at the airport and sent back to China after changing his story during interrogation, first claiming ignorance about the samples, before admitting that he had planned to use the material for research at a University of Michigan lab where his girlfriend Yunqing Jian, 33, works as a postdoctoral fellow. The bureau said authorities found a scientific article on Liu's phone titled "Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions". Investigators said that a week before Liu arrived in the US, he exchanged messages with Jian, who said: "It's a pity that I still have to work for you," with her boyfriend replying: "Once this is done, everything else will be easy." In February this year, FBI agents went to Jian's lab on the University of Michigan campus and asked her whether she had been assisting Liu with the pathogen at the lab, to which she said "100% no". This came as messages between the couple from 2024 suggest that Jian was already tending to fusarium graminearum at the campus lab, where Liu previously worked, before he was caught at the Detroit airport, the FBI highlighted. The university does not have federal permits to handle it. The institution said in a statement that it "has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals". Jian, who expressed support for the Chinese Communist Party in a signed statement on her phone, received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China, according to the court filing. Liu, who researches the same pathogen at a Chinese university, allegedly brought it to the US "so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory" where his girlfriend worked. Jian and Liu were charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud, according to United States attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. Mr Gorgon called the allegations against the two Chinese nationals "of the gravest national security concerns". A spokesperson for the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs told our US partner network NBC that it was not aware of the case and that its government "has always required Chinese citizens overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, while also safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law". Jian, who is held in jail, is set to appear in federal court for a bond hearing on Thursday afternoon. A lawyer who was assigned only for her initial appearance declined to comment. Since Liu is in China, with which the US has no extradition treaty, his arrest is unlikely unless he returns. FBI director Kash Patel said in : "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.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
U.S. says it broke up effort to bring toxic fungus to Michigan lab from China
This image provided by United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan shows toxic plant pathogens that a Chinese scientist entered the U.S. last year stashed in his backpack, federal authorities said Tuesday, June 3, 2025, as they filed charges against him and a girlfriend who worked in a lab at the University of Michigan. (United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan via AP) A DETROIT — A Chinese scientist entered the U.S. last year with a toxic fungus stashed in his backpack, federal authorities said Tuesday as they filed charges against him and a girlfriend who worked in a lab at the University of Michigan. The pathogen is known as Fusarium graminearum, which can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice and sicken livestock and people, the FBI said in a court filing in Detroit. The FBI said a scientific journal describes it as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon.' Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud. '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 Jr. said. Jian appeared in court and was returned to jail to await a bond hearing Thursday. An attorney who was assigned only for her initial appearance declined to comment. In July 2024, Liu was turned away at the Detroit airport and sent back to China after changing his story during an interrogation about red plant material discovered in his backpack, the FBI said. He initially claimed ignorance about the samples but later said he was planning to use the material for research at a University of Michigan lab where Jian worked and where Liu previously worked, the FBI said. The FBI said authorities found a scientific article on Liu's phone that was titled, 'Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions.' A week before arriving in the U.S., according to investigators, Liu exchanged messages with Jian, who said, 'It's a pity that I still have to work for you.' The FBI said Liu replied: 'Once this is done, everything else will be easy.' Months later, in February, FBI agents visited Jian at the campus lab. She said, '100 per cent no,' when asked if she had been assisting Liu with the pathogen at the lab. The FBI said it found a signed statement on her phone expressing her support for the Communist Party of China. Messages between the two in 2024 suggest that Jian was already tending to Fusarium graminearum at the campus lab before Liu was caught at the Detroit airport, the FBI said. The university does not have federal permits to handle it. The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Liu's arrest unlikely unless he returns. Ed White, The Associated Press
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
FBI accuses Chinese researchers of smuggling toxic fungus into US
Two Chinese researchers are accused of smuggling toxic fungus into the US for their work at a University of Michigan laboratory, the Department of Justice says. The department said the biological pathogen, known as Fusarium graminearum, is classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon. This fungus causes "head blight" or "head scab" which is a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice. The department said it could cost billions in economic losses worldwide each year. The pathogen could also lead to vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock if it gets into food. Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the US, false statements and visa fraud. The University of Michigan website shows that Ms Jian is a research fellow specialising in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Ms Jian allegedly received funding from the Chinese government for her work on this pathogen in China. Her boyfriend Mr Liu worked at a Chinese university where he conducted research on the same pathogen, according to the FBI's criminal complaint. "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," the FBI said. FBI director Kash Patel alleged that a signed statement on her phone indicated Ms Jian had expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said he did not know the specific situation but "would like to emphasise that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests". Ms Jian appeared in court on June 3 and was returned to jail to await a bond hearing on Thursday. The ABC has contacted the University of Michigan for comment. The FBI said Mr Liu was turned away at Detroit airport and sent back to China after changing his story during an interrogation about red plant material discovered in his backpack in July 2024. The university does not have federal permits to handle Fusarium graminearum, according to the FBI. The US does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Mr Liu's arrest unlikely unless he returns. ABC/AP
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Chinese couple charged with smuggling toxic fungus into US
US federal prosecutors have charged two Chinese nationals with smuggling a toxic fungus into the United States, which authorities claim could be turned into a 'potential agroterrorism weapon'. The charges against Jian Yunqing, 33, and Liu Zunyong, 34, two researchers from China, were unsealed by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan on Tuesday. The pair face additional charges of conspiracy, visa fraud and providing false statements to investigators. Prosecutors allege that Liu smuggled the fungus, called Fusarium graminearum, into the US so he could carry out research at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend, Jian, worked. Fusarium graminearum causes 'head blight', a disease in crops like wheat, barley, maize and rice, and is 'responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year', according to the charges. The pathogen also poses a danger to humans and livestock, and can cause 'vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects'. The investigation was carried out by US Customs and Border Protection and the FBI, whose mandate includes investigating foreign and economic espionage as well as counterterrorism. Jian was earlier arrested by the FBI and is due to appear in federal court this week, where her ties to the Chinese government are also under scrutiny at a time of increased paranoia within the US government about possible Chinese infiltration. Jian allegedly received funding from the Chinese government to carry out research on the same toxic fungus in China, according to the charges. The Associated Press news agency, citing the FBI, said that Liu was sent back to China from Detroit in July 2024 after airport customs authorities found the fungus in his backpack. He later admitted to bringing the material into the US to carry out research at the University of Michigan, where he had previously worked alongside his girlfriend, the AP said. During their investigation, the FBI found an article on Liu's phone titled 'Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions'. Messages on the couple's phones also indicated that Jian was aware of the smuggling scheme, and later lied to investigators about her knowledge. It is unlikely that Liu will face extradition as the US does not have an extradition treaty with China. FBI director Kash Patel claimed on X that China was 'working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences'. New… I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country. The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called "Fusarium graminearum," which is an… — FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 3, 2025 The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The University of Michigan on Tuesday issued a brief statement condemning 'any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security, or undermine the university's critical public mission'. The case comes just a week after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to start 'aggressively' revoking the visas of Chinese students in the US on national security grounds. Targeted students include Chinese nationals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), an institution that counts about 100 million members. While some Chinese may join for ideological reasons, membership in the CCP comes with perks like access to better jobs and educational opportunities. It is not uncommon for students from elite backgrounds, like those studying in the US, to also be members of the CCP. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously pledged to 'firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests' of its students studying overseas following news of the visa crackdown.
