Chinese biologists are said to have smuggled Fusarium pathogens into the USA.

The US federal prosecutor from the state of Michigan, Jerome F. Gorgon, has filed charges against two Chinese individuals. The astonishing accusation: agricultural terrorism. Yunqing Jian (33) and Zunyong Liu (34) are accused by Gorgon of smuggling the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the United States. According to the federal prosecutor, the fungal pathogen is classified as a "potential agricultural terrorist weapon." The FBI has arrested Jian and her partner Liu on charges of agricultural terrorism. "These individuals used their access to the laboratory facilities at the University of Michigan to smuggle biological warfare agents, posing an immediate threat to public safety," said an FBI official on Tuesday. The picture is said to depict the fungal pathogens that the Chinese scientists are alleged to have smuggled into the USA. The Michigan District Court has released the image (Image source: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Uncredited). According to media reports, the US prosecution seized the pathogens last year. As authorities continued to investigate, they uncovered suspicious chats on the accused's cell phones, leading to the woman's arrest. Yunqing Jian works as a "Research Fellow" at the University of Michigan. According to scientific databases, Jian has researched the cereal fungus Fusarium graminearum and has even published scientific papers. According to "The Detroit News," Jian obtained a doctorate in crop pests at Zhejiang University in China. Her partner Liu is said to have also researched Fusarium graminearum in China. The American authorities describe both Jian and her partner Liu as "loyal members of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China." What causes Fusarium graminearum in cereal crops? Fusarium graminearum is a fungus from the group of Ascomycetes. When it infects wheat or barley, the plants exhibit head scab. Symptoms include small grains or cob rot in corn. What is agricultural terrorism? Threats such as smuggling disease agents could "destroy our agricultural economy and harm people," said a US border protection officer in Michigan on Tuesday. According to the United States Crisis Coordination Center, agricultural terrorism is the "deliberate release of animal or plant diseases with the intention of spreading economic losses and instability." What do the two Chinese individuals have to fear? The Michigan State US Attorney's Office noted on Tuesday that currently, it is merely a charge against the two Chinese individuals. They have not been convicted guilty so far. Both the FBI and the Border Protection Agency are investigating the matter.