Suspected Chinese bioterrorists smuggled dangerous agent into US in boots, officials say

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One of the two Chinese nationals arrested for allegedly smuggling a toxic crop-killing pathogen, which also has devastating health effects on humans, stuffed the noxious fungus into her boots while entering the United States in 2022, documents show.

According to an arrest affidavit for University of Michigan post-doctoral research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, Jian first brought Fusarium graminearum, described as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" in scientific literature, in August 2022. 

A transcribed WeChat conversation between Jian and Liu shows Liu instructing Jian on how to smuggle the fungus, according to the affidavit.

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Liu: "Teacher Liang's seeds must be placed well."

Jian: "Where to put it? I only have one pair of shoes. The insole cannot be pulled off."

Liu: "Did you bring just one pair of shoes?"

Jian: "3 pair, wear one pair."

Liu: "Where did the seeds get put? In the tube?"

Jian: "I put them in my Martin boots… in a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small."

Liu: "That's good… Just put it in your shoes."

Jian: "I stuffed them in the shoes."

Fusarium graminearum creates "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year," according to the Department of Justice. 

It is also toxic to humans, and can cause vomiting, liver damage, and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock." 

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The affidavit, which said Jian has been attempting to smuggle the pathogen into the United States since she began post-doctoral studies funded by China in 2022, also accuses Jian of asking a third party to send her Fusarium graminearum in January 2024. 

"There are usually no problems," Jian said in a message to the third person. "Rest assured. I have mailed these before."

That third person allegedly shipped the package, and hid the samples in a statistics textbook. The package was intercepted before it arrived. 

Jian is accused of lying on a student visa application about what exactly she planned to study in the United States. 

The latest smuggling attempt took place in July 2024, when Liu entered the United States at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a tourist visa under the guise of visiting his girlfriend, Jian, authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flagged Liu upon his arrival, searched his luggage and conducted an interview. 

The luggage search "revealed a wad of tissues crumpled up in a small pocket in Liu's backpack," according to the affidavit.

"The tissues concealed a note in Chinese, a round piece of filter paper with a series of circles drawn on it, and four clear plastic baggies with small clumps of reddish plant material inside," the affidavit continues. 

An FBI laboratory test found that the filter paper contained Fusarium graminearum, and the baggies of material contained fibrous material that was infected with Fusarium graminearum, authorities said.

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"In addition, the laboratory identified 10 separate samples from the filter paper," the affidavit says. "Each sample had a hand drawn circle around it, and each circle was labeled with a code containing letters and/or numbers. The sample labeled '06172' was identified by the FBI laboratory to contain the DNA sequence for Fusarium graminearum."

Liu initially denied knowingly putting the pathogen in his bag, but later admitted to doing it intentionally, authorities said.

He allegedly revealed his entire scheme to the investigators, including telling them that he planned to use the same laboratory that Jian used at the University of Michigan to conduct research. He said that some days during his visit, the lab would be open for use, according to the affidavit, and other days, Jian planned to let him in. 

Jian and Liu have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements and visa fraud.

"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," FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital 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."

The University of Michigan released a statement regarding the incident on Wednesday. 

"As one of the world's leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world," the school said. 

"We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission. It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution."

READ THE FULL AFFIDAVIT

Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.