Patel sounds alarm as Chinese nationals charged with smuggling 'agroterrorism agent' into US: 'direc

[mystery-ak]

Patel sounds alarm as Chinese nationals charged with smuggling 'agroterrorism agent' into US: 'direct threat'
Chinese researchers accused of smuggling 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into US to study at University of Michigan lab

 By Danielle Wallace Fox News
Published June 3, 2025 4:03pm EDT | Updated June 3, 2025 4:37pm EDT

EXCLUSIVE – FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that the case involving two Chinese nationals who were charged Tuesday with allegedly smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. to study at the University of Michigan laboratory demonstrates a serious national security threat to America's food supply.

"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 in a statement. "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."

University of Michigan research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – both citizens of the People's Republic of China – have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The couple are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a "potential agroterrorism weapon," according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors note the noxious fungus causes "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year."

more
https://www.foxnews.com/us/patel-chinese-nationals-charged-smuggling-known-agroterrorism-agent-into-us-direct-threat

[mystery-ak]

They Haven't Stopped: Chinese Students Attempted to Smuggle Agricultural Bioweapon Into US
By Jennifer Van Laar | 6:02 PM on June 03, 2025

After the terror attack carried out in Boulder over the weekend by an Egyptian radical who overstayed his visa, a lot of attention is understandably being paid to the issue of finding and deporting people who have overstayed their visas. And, the Trump administration is already in the process of "aggressively" revoking student visas for Chinese students, especially those studying in critical fields or who have ties to the Chinese Communist Party (which, I would argue, is every single one). But they might need to work faster, given the indictment of two Chinese nationals - one a student working in a laboratory at the University of Michigan - for attempting to smuggle a bioterror agent into the country last July.

On Tuesday federal authorities announced that Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, had been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. From the press release:

    The FBI arrested Jian in connection with allegations related to Jian’s and Liu’s smuggling into America a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon. This noxious fungus causes “head blight,” a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. Fusarium graminearum’s toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.

According to the complaint, Jian received Chinese government funding for her work on this pathogen in China, and a January 2024 work assessment form found on her phone, which she signed, contained a pledge of loyalty to China and to "support the leadership of the Communist Party of China, resolutely implement the party’s educational guidelines and policies, love education, care for students, unite colleagues, love the motherland and care about international affairs."

more
https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2025/06/03/they-havent-stopped-chinese-students-arrested-after-attempting-to-smuggle-bioweapon-into-us-n2189996

[mountaineer]

Sure, wipe out our crops and livestock. Not content with their Covid efforts, the Chinese government doubles down. 

[mountaineer]

Again, Univ. of Michigan:

@amuse
@amuse
CHINA + UMICH🧵: Last year the Biden Admin caught a student from The University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute smuggling illegal pathogens into the US but declined to prosecute the CCP-connected scholar. She just did it again, but this time she was arrested, the deadly pathogen she was smuggling from China could be used as a bio-weapon to destroy the US's food supply. What is going on at the University of Michigan?

https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1930240789348593801

[Right_in_Virginia]

Thanks for the alarm, Kash.  What's the plan?

[Fishrrman]

Once more (after many years of posting this):

Bring back "The Chinese Exclusion Act".

[rangerrebew]

Chinese nationals charged with smuggling deadly crop fungus into U.S. in agroterrorism plot

06/04/2025 // Cassie B. // 470 Views



A Chinese couple with alleged CCP ties was charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous agroterrorism pathogen, into the U.S. via Detroit Airport.

The fungus threatens wheat, barley, and maize crops, causing billions in losses and posing severe health risks to humans and livestock.

The couple conspired to deliver the pathogen for undisclosed research, with evidence of prior smuggling attempts and CCP loyalty.

The University of Michigan denied involvement, but the case raises concerns about foreign exploitation of U.S. academic labs.

Experts warn agroterrorism could destabilize food security, prompting calls for stricter oversight of foreign researchers.

https://www.alipac.us/f9/chinese-nationals-charged-smuggling-deadly-crop-fungus-into-u-s-agroterroris-430314/

[Free Vulcan]

The University of Michigan issued a statement distancing itself from the accused, claiming it received "no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals." The university pledged cooperation with federal authorities but emphasized that its lab lacked permits to handle Fusarium graminearum.

This is the kind of word salad spin-a-rooney that just makes you want to boot kick the speaker on the teeth.

It may have not received funding directly from Chinese govt, but it could have easily got it from them via proxy. They also may not have the permits to handle the virus, that doesn't mean they didn't break the law to handle it anyway.

This warrants scrutiny of university officials to see what kind of actual involvement there actually was.

[GtHawk]

This is the kind of word salad spin-a-rooney that just makes you want to boot kick the speaker on the teeth.

It may have not received funding directly from Chinese govt, but it could have easily got it from them via proxy. They also may not have the permits to handle the virus, that doesn't mean they didn't break the law to handle it anyway.

This warrants scrutiny of university officials to see what kind of actual involvement there actually was.

Well it most certainly shows that there has to be more thorough knowledge and auditing of what is going on in their labs, do they just accept what researchers tell them as gospel? Or does the money just do the talking?

[Bigun]

Well it most certainly shows that there has to be more thorough knowledge and auditing of what is going on in their labs, do they just accept what researchers tell them as gospel? Or does the money just do the talking?

Most likely the latter! Just MHO.

[GtHawk]

Most likely the latter! Just MHO.

Sometimes labs are just scary places where its just assumed only the people working in them need to know what’s going on. A lot of years ago my friend and I did off the books work at the City of Hope in Duarte cleaning fume hood ducts and repairing them. They had us work in a lab but only after we finished did someone bother to tell us it was a HIV lab😳🤬🤯 My friend asked a lot more questions about the labs after that.

[rangerrebew]

Chinese researcher in alleged plot to smuggle crop-killing fungus into US will remain in custody while seeking private counsel
Story by Alex Oliveira • 8h

The Chinese researcher accused of helping smuggle a potentially devastating crop-killing fungus into the US will remain in custody until she retains private counsel, according to reports.

Yunqing Jian, 33, appeared in a Detroit courtroom for a detention hearing Thursday afternoon, where a public defender assigned to her case asked the court to reconvene once Jian can hire her own lawyer.

The judge consented and scheduled a new detention hearing for June 13. Jian, a Chinese national and researcher at the University of Michigan, will remain in custody until then, CBS News reported.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/chinese-researcher-in-alleged-plot-to-smuggle-crop-killing-fungus-into-us-will-remain-in-custody-while-seeking-private-counsel/ar-AA1Gbe1F?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=072ebfda9b054056876b4a4dda8479c8&ei=54

[mountaineer]

Robby Starbuck
@robbystarbuck
A Chinese scientist from Wuhan got arrested Sunday trying to smuggle "biological materials" via a Detroit airport.
She’s the THIRD Chinese scientist arrested in recent weeks smuggling bio materials.
She wiped her devices 3 days before her trip.
At what point is this an attack?
4:41 PM · Jun 9, 2025