Two Chinese scientists will stay in jail while accused of bringing biological material to US
Yunqing Jian and Chengxuan Han said in separate court appearances in Detroit that they would not challenge the government's request to keep them locked up while their cases move forward.
'This is a constantly evolving situation involving a large number of factors,' Han's attorney, Sara Garber, told a judge. She didn't elaborate and later declined to comment.
Han was arrested Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan lab, and is accused of shipping biological material months ago to laboratory staff.
It was intercepted by authorities. The FBI, in a court filing, said the material is related to worms and lacked a government permit. Experts told The Associated Press it didn't appear to be dangerous.
Jian's case is different. She is charged with conspiring with her boyfriend, another scientist from China, to bring a toxic fungus into the US Fusarium graminearum can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice.
The boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, was turned away at the Detroit airport last July and sent back to China after authorities found red plant material in his backpack.
Jian, who worked at the university lab, was arrested June 2. Messages between Jian and Liu in 2024 suggest that Jian was already tending to Fusarium graminearum at the lab before Liu was caught at the airport, the FBI said.
Jian's attorneys declined to comment Friday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Chinese ‘Spy' Vessel Conducts 51-Day Surveillance Mission In Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea: OSINT Expert
A Chinese research vessel suspected to be a surveillance ship concluded a 51-day deployment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the Arabian Sea, raising renewed concerns in India about China's growing maritime activities in the region. The Chinese vessel's activity map has been released by a prominent Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) expert, Damien Symon on X. Notably, Simon had earlier shared on X details of damages done to Pakistani airbases by India during Operation Sindoor. What Expert Revealed According to Damien Symon, the vessel 'Da Yang Yi Hao' entered the Indian Ocean on May 14, 2025, and was tracked operating extensively in the western Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea, before exiting the region on July 3. 'The Chinese research vessel 'Da Yang Yi Hao' appears to have concluded its latest deployment to the Indian Ocean Region—arriving in May 2025, the ship was observed operating in the western IOR, Arabian Sea, surveying seafloor ridges and underwater features,' Symon posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The Chinese research vessel 'Da Yang Yi Hao' appears to have concluded its latest deployment to the Indian Ocean Region - arriving in May 2025, the ship was observed operating in the western IOR, Arabian Sea, surveying seafloor ridges/underwater features — Damien Symon (@detresfa_) July 3, 2025 Research Vessel Or Spy Ship? While officially labelled as a scientific research vessel, Indian defence analysts and strategic experts have long argued that such ships are frequently deployed by China to conduct military reconnaissance under the guise of oceanographic surveys. An Indian Navy official acknowledged that while Chinese research vessels are permitted to operate in international waters, their ability to track and collect electronic signals raises security concerns—particularly when they operate in proximity to strategically sensitive areas. Concern Within India The presence of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean has become increasingly routine in recent years, but their activities—especially in sensitive maritime zones such as the Arabian Sea—have alarmed Indian authorities. Defence analysts have claimed that these so-called research missions are often fronts for underwater mapping and surveillance activities. These kinds of data can be used to support submarine operations or strategic deployments. The Indian Navy continues to monitor the movement of foreign vessels in the IOR through air and sea surveillance, with an emphasis on detecting dual-use platforms that may threaten India's maritime interests.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gold, lies and eBay: US novelist, 80, accused of selling stolen gold from 18th century shipwreck
What began as a glittering underwater mystery off the coast of France has turned into an international legal matter, the one now involving an 80-year-old American novelist and her husband. Eleonora 'Gay' Courter, a Florida based writer known for her marine themed fiction and her 82-year-old husband, Philip, are facing the possibility of standing trial in France according to The Guardian. Authorities accuse the couple of illegally selling gold bars stolen from an 18th century shipwreck Le Prince de Conty, a French trading vessel that sank in 1746 near Brittany. The vessel which had been on a voyage from Asia was discovered in 1974 and partially dug out by French archaeologists. The site revealed valuable Chinese porcelain, tea crates, and gold bars until a violent storm in 1985 scattered the wreck and halted official recovery efforts. However, the treasure apparently caught illegal attention long before that. In 2018, suspicions arose when head of France's underwater archaeology department Michel L'Hour, spotted five gold bars being auctioned on a US website. He contacted authorities who seized the items and returned them to France in 2022. The seller was identified as Eleonora Courter. Courter maintained she had received the gold from French contact, including 78-year-old Annette May Pesty, who once claimed on Antiques Roadshow that she found the treasure while diving off Cape Verde. However, investigators traced the origin of the gold ingots back to Pesty's brother-in-law, Yves Gladu, an underwater photographer with a long history of clandestine dives at the Prince de Conty site. In a 2022 confession, Gladu admitted retrieving 16 gold bars over a 23 year period between 1976 and 1999. He claimed to have sold them all to a Swiss retiree in 2006, denying any involvement with the Courters' stash. Yet investigators allege the Courters had access to at least 23 bars and sold 18 of them some on eBay netting nearly 200,000 dollars. The couple insisted the proceeds were meant for Gladu and said they had no idea the items were stolen. Their attorney, Gregory Levy, said they were nice people who were misled. 'They didn't see the harm, as US laws regarding gold ownership differ greatly from French regulations,' he said, adding that the couple did not profit personally from the sales. The Courters were arrested in the UK in 2022 and placed under house arrest. French prosecutors in Brest have since recommended a trial for the couple, Gladu, and Pesty. A judge is expected to rule on the matter soon, with proceedings likely to begin in late 2026. Courter has authored several novels and nonfiction works many set on the high seas including a memoir about being quarantined on a cruise ship during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
India.com
4 hours ago
- India.com
This docu-drama series will send chills down your spine, based on true events, has IMDb rating of 7.3, name is...
The story of crime and crime is the most terrifying. It cannot be said when and how much a person becomes savage in it. Many such incidents keep happening around us, which give us goosebumps. Many films based on real crime and crime are also seen, whose story makes people sweat. One such story is of that four-year-old girl, for whom there was no difference between life and death. When you finish reading this story, this story will remain in your heart and mind for many days. If you are fond of watching such crime series and movies, then you must watch this documentary once. The 2022 Docu-Drama: Girl In The Picture Here we are talking about the documentary 'Girl in the Picture' based on a true incident in the year 2022. This is the original documentary film, which is directed by Skye Borgman and is said to be based on author Matt Birkbeck's two books, A Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon. This documentary revolves around a mysterious events that involves a girl who was abducted at the age of four. The Storyline Of Girl In The Picture The story of this documentary is based on the horrifying story of Sharon Marshall, who was kidnapped in childhood. This girl is kidnapped by a criminal named Franklin Delano Floyd, who was also a federal officer. The girl is kidnapped when she is just 4 years old. The kidnapper first raises the girl as his daughter, but when she grows up, he marries her and names her Suzanne Sevakis. Then she is forced to work as a stripper and is constantly exploited, then she starts living in the shadow of fear. The Shocking Revelation Of Identity Suzanne Sevakis/Tonya/Sharon, died in a hit and run road accident in the year 1990. Suzanne was 20 years old at that time. Her real identity is revealed in the year 2014, when the FBI and journalists, after years of investigation, proved that she was kidnapped in the year 1975 and that she is Suzanne Sevakis. The runtime of this documentary is 1 hour 41 minutes and it depicts the entire story of Suzanne since her kidnapping. IMDb has given it a rating of 7 out of 10, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
