Chinese nationals charged after bringing possible ‘agroterrorism’ fungus into US

Two Chinese nationals were charged with smuggling a “potential agroterrorism” fungus into the United States called Fusarium graminearum.

The fungus causes “head blight,” a disease associated with wheat, barley, maize, and rice that can cause billions of dollars in damage.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, who are citizens of the People’s Republic of China, are also being accused of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

“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 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.”