By Molly Claire Goddard
3:25am PDT, Jun 5, 2025
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A potential agroterrorism plot in the United States was foiled.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Michigan on Tuesday, June 3, two
Chinese Nationals were charged with allegedly bringing a Fusarium graminearum — a biological pathogen considered "a potential agroterrorism weapon" — into America through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July 2024.
Keep reading to learn how the potential attack was shut down…MORE:
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Per the legal papers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took Zunyong Liu, 34, was questioned after traveling from China to America while trying to bring the toxic fungus to his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian, 33, who is a University of Michigan lab researcher.
According to the complaint, Jian allegedly got "Chinese government funding for her work" and is a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Liu reportedly "works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen."
During a sit-down with the FBI, Jian claimed she did not know her partner was bringing the substance overseas with him. However, a further investigation found the pair had "discussed the shipping of biological materials and research being done in the laboratory" before he arrived in the U.S.
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On Tuesday, June 3, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. announced Zunyong Liu and Yunqing Jian will now face charges of conspiracy, smuggling, 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," the official 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."
Special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office Cheyvoryea Gibson also addressed the situation. "The federal charges announced today against Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, both residents of the People's Republic of China, signify a crucial advancement in our efforts to safeguard our communities and uphold national security," he said. "These individuals exploited their access to laboratory facilities at a local university to engage in the smuggling of biological pathogens, an act that posed an imminent threat to public safety."
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According to the Justice Department, Fusarium graminearum causes vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock. The substance can be used as a "agroterrorism weapon."
The University of Michigan made it clear they played no part in helping any potential terror attack despite people in question having ties to the college. "No funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals," the school explained in a statement. "We will cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution. We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission."
