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Exclusive – FBI director, Kash Patel, told Fox News Digital that the case involving two Chinese nationals who had been charged Tuesday to have allegedly transferred a “dangerous organic pathogen” to the United States to study in the laboratory of the University of Michigan demonstrates a serious threat of national security for American food supply.
“This affair is a reminder that gives reflection that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy agents and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could paralyze our economy and endanger American life,” Patel told Fox. “The transition of a agroterorism agent known in the United States is not only a violation of the law, it is a direct threat to national security. I congratulate the division of the FBI Detroit and our CBP partners for having stopped this biological threat before it could make real damage.”
Michigan University Researcher Yunqing Jian and his boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – Two citizens of the People’s Republic of China – were charged in a criminal complaint of conspiracy, smuggling of goods in the United States, false statements and visa fraud, the American prosecutor of the eastern district of Michigan announced on Tuesday. The investigation is underway led by the FBI and American customs and border protection (CBP).
The couple is accused of passing a fungus called Fusarium Graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a “weapon of potential agro -terrorism”, according to the Ministry of Justice. Federal prosecutors note that the harmful fungus causes “head burn”, a disease of wheat, barley, corn and rice, and “is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses in the world each year”.
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Two Chinese nationals were responsible for conspiracy and smuggling of a “dangerous organic pathogen” in the United States for their work in a laboratory at the University of Michigan. (Detroit Free Press / Imagn)
The Ministry of Justice also says that Fusarium Graminearum toxins cause vomiting, liver damage and “reproductive defects in humans and livestock”.
According to the criminal complaint, Jian, 33, has received funding from the Chinese government for his work on the pathogen in China.
Federal prosecutors say that Jian’s electronics contain information “describing his membership and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party”.
Liu, 34, will work in a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors say that “he lied first”, but then admitted to having passed Fusarium Graminearum to the United States via the Strait Metropolitan Airport. His alleged goal was to carry out research on the pathogen at the Laboratory of the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked, according to court documents.
The FBI arrested Jian as part of the allegations, and it was to make its first federal appearance in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Justice. It is not known if Liu was placed in police custody.
Graduates of the University of Michigan leave the central passage of the quadrilateral of the William W. Cook law on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Detroit Free Press)
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a faithful member of the Chinese Communist Party – are the most serious national security problems, “said American lawyer Jerome Gorgon in a statement.” These two extraterrestrials were responsible for passing a fungus which was described as a “ weapon of potential agro -terrorism ” in the Heartland of America, where they had apparently intended to use a laboratory of the University of Michigan to advance their program. “”
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The Director of CBP operations of the CBP, Marty Raybon, said that the criminal charges taken against Jian and Liu “indicate the essential role of the CBP in the protection of the American people against biological threats which could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; in particular when it involves a researcher of a large university who tries to wink in the United States.”
“This was a complex survey involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners,” said Raybon. “I am grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring that our borders remain safe from all types of threats while protecting the interests of national security in America.”
Jian is still listed as a postdoctoral researcher on the website of the University of Michigan on Tuesday afternoon. Fox News Digital contacted the University of Michigan to comment on Tuesday, but did not immediately hear.
The anti-Israeli demonstrators meet for a simulated trial against the University of Michigan Council of Regents on the University campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 21, 2025. (Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images)
The Ministry of Justice noted that a trial cannot be held Crime In a complaint, and a determination will be taken on the question whether to request a criminal indictment when the investigation is completed.
The accusations were announced at a time when the Trump administration represses what they classify as anti-American radicals in American universities, especially foreign students engaged in anti -Semites or anti-Israeli demonstrations on the campus.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced that he would be “aggressively” revoining student visas for Chinese nationals “, including those who have links with the Chinese Communist Party or study in critical fields”.
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In particular at Harvard University in particular, the acting director of American immigration and customs application has accused what is perhaps the most prestigious university in America potentially “collaborated with the PCC and other foreign opponents”.
