A Chinese researcher working at the University of Michigan has been arrested for allegedly smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen into the United States in what officials are calling a serious agroterrorism threat. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest on social media, saying the individual, Yunqing Jian, brought Fusarium graminearum—a toxic fungus known to devastate wheat, maize, rice, and barley crops and pose risks to livestock and human health—into the country without proper authorisation. The pathogen is considered a potential agroterror weapon by experts and scientific literature.
Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, who previously worked at the same university lab and now teaches at a Chinese university, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling, visa fraud, and making false statements.
Can harm crops and cause vomiting, liver damage in humans: FBI
The FBI said the fungus causes “head blight,” a disease that devastates wheat, maize, barley, and rice crops, leading to billions of dollars in economic losses globally each year. Worse, the FBI added, toxins released by the fungus can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in both humans and livestock.
Fungus smuggled from China, lab lacked federal permit
According to a federal complaint unsealed on Tuesday, Jian had been cultivating the fungus at a campus laboratory without the required US federal permits. Authorities believe the University of Michigan lab was never cleared to handle such high-risk pathogens.
The FBI revealed that Liu attempted to enter the US via Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July 2024 with red plant material concealed in his backpack. He initially denied knowledge of the substance but later admitted it was the same fungus and intended for research in Jian’s lab. Customs officers turned Liu back to China, but by then, suspicions had escalated.
Court documents show that months of communication between the two suggested a coordinated plan. One message from Jian read, "It's a pity that I still have to work for you." Liu replied: "Once this is done, everything else will be easy."
A February 2025 FBI visit to Jian’s lab prompted further investigation. Though Jian denied any involvement, a forensic examination of her phone revealed a signed statement of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party and evidence she had been working with the fungus even before Liu's failed entry attempt.
National security alarm over Chinese funding and CCP links
Federal prosecutors said Jian had previously received funding from the Chinese government for work on this pathogen and remains a declared supporter of the Chinese Communist Party. “The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals, including a loyal member of the CCP, are of the gravest national security concerns,” US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
FBI Director Patel called the case a “sobering reminder” of the CCP’s efforts to infiltrate American institutions and target critical sectors like agriculture. “This fungus is responsible for billions of dollars in crop losses globally every year. A breach like this risks both food security and lives,” he said.
Liu remains in China and is unlikely to be extradited, as the US does not have an extradition treaty with China. Jian remains in custody in Michigan pending a bond hearing on Thursday.
(With agency inputs)