Latest news with #agroterrorism
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What Airport Agents Found in This Traveler's Bag Could Wreck U.S. Farms
A seemingly routine trip through Detroit Metro Airport took a sharp turn when federal agents uncovered something alarming in a traveler's luggage—something that could have jeopardized America's food supply. The BBC reported that authorities say Zunyong Liu flew into the United States from China carrying Fusarium graminearum, a crop-destroying fungus responsible for Fusarium head blight, a disease that plagues staple grains like wheat, barley, and rice. Liu told officials he brought the fungus to study with his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian, who works in a University of Michigan lab. Both Liu and Jian now face serious federal charges, including conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Michigan. Fusarium graminearum isn't new to the U.S. In fact, it's already a major issue in North American agriculture. But experts say importing new or potentially more virulent strains of the fungus could worsen the problem, potentially leading to widespread crop failure and supply chain disruptions. The fungus spreads more aggressively in warm temperatures and not only damages crops, but also produces toxins that can cause vomiting, dizziness, and even raise the risk of cancer if consumed. That's part of why federal prosecutors have cited scientific literature calling it a potential 'agroterrorism weapon.' Despite the dramatic charges, some experts are urging perspective. 'It's extremely prevalent in North America,' Harold Kistler, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, told CBS News. 'It's not like a foreign agent coming in—it likely arose here.' Still, the incident highlights just how vulnerable the agricultural system is, especially at the intersection of global travel and science. Security officials didn't release details about how the fungus was discovered, but its presence in a passenger's bag has raised fresh concerns about biosecurity lapses at ports of entry. So far, no widespread contamination has been reported, but the case remains under investigation. In the age of rising global temperatures and shifting supply chains, a single missed bag could mean disaster for crops, and by extension, the food millions depend Airport Agents Found in This Traveler's Bag Could Wreck U.S. Farms first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 5, 2025
Fox News
27-06-2025
- Fox News
Chinese 'agroterrorism' could threaten US 'survival as a nation,' expert warns
Print Close By Peter D'Abrosca Published June 24, 2025 In light of the arrests of two Chinese nationals who are accused of smuggling a crop-killing fungus across the border, one expert warns that agroterrorism from foreign adversaries could cause a "severe disruption" to the United States. "Agroterrorism is any attempt to bring items into the United States intentionally that would impact our food supply," Kristofor Healey told Fox News Digital. "So this would be biological organisms like we saw in this case in Michigan. A specific lab-grown organism that is intended to attack items that are key to our agricultural survival as a nation." Healey worked for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for 15 years, first in an immigration enforcement role and then in counter-corruption operations. Now, he is a private investigator and expert witness. CHINESE BIOTERROR SUSPECTS' ARRESTS SIGNAL COMMUNIST COUNTRY PLOTTING 'SOMETHING WORSE' THAN COVID: EXPERT "Obviously, we're an agricultural-based economy in many ways, so anything that's attacking our wheat, our barley, the basic standard of what goes into so many of our food products that's being introduced intentionally, that's being introduced by a foreign threat to cause disruption," Healey said. "It's the same as any sort of other type of terrorism that's attacking a civilian population. It's just attacking it from that agricultural standpoint." Chinese nationals Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu, 34, were arrested earlier this month by the FBI for allegedly smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. and studying it in labs over a two-year period. Jian was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan whose research was funded in part by the People's Republic of China. Fusarium graminearum is a toxic fungus that causes a crop-killing "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice that "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." "I don't think Americans really understand or really recognize the threat that the [Chinese Communist Party] actually holds, and how much our economy is built into the CCP-run economy," said Healey. CCP LOYALIST SHOULD BE SENT TO GITMO AFTER ARREST FOR ALLEGED PATHOGEN SMUGGLING, SAYS CHINA EXPERT He said that if a major event, like a war over Taiwan, were to occur, the United States would not be prepared for the wrath that China could unleash on America's crops and other critical infrastructure. "[Agriculture] is a very vulnerable part of our nation's infrastructure if you have individuals who are coming into this country, as was the case in Michigan, who are coming to study, who have a lab background, who have a background in this sort of development of these sort of organisms, studying or working with these sorts of organisms," Healey said. "If they have ill-intent, that's the sort of thing that could cause severe disruption to our food safety, that could cause severe destruction to… what essentially goes into keeping America running." Healey also noted that while the United States focuses a great deal of time on keeping out dangerous people or items like bombs and weaponry, it should be paying more attention to agricultural and biological terror threats, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. SUSPECTED CHINESE BIOTERRORISTS SMUGGLED KILLER AGENT INTO US IN BOOTS, OFFICIALS SAY "I would suggest that is something we need to be thinking about a lot more, because we just came off, five years ago, the entire world being shut down by what now appears to be a biological item that leaked from a laboratory and then infected millions of people and killed millions of people around the globe," he said. Healey warned that Americans should be prepared in the event of such an attack. "You don't have to be a prepper and build a silo in Nebraska and bury all your food supplies and wait for the end of the road, but you do have to be thinking a little bit down the road," he said. "Be prepared in the sense that you're the kind of person who's looking down the road. Not 24 hours in the future, but looking weeks and sometimes months in the future and preparing accordingly." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jian and Liu have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud. They remain in federal custody. Print Close URL
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning issued over dangerous fungus smuggled into US by Chinese nationals
As tensions around the globe race towards the breaking point, US officials are warning Americans to watch out for an agricultural sneak attack by foreign agents. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller issued a statewide warning on Wednesday, urging Texans to look out for signs of crops which may have been infected with harmful pathogens that can make people seriously ill. The warning came after three Chinese nationals were arrested and charged in early June with smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen into the US that could devastate essential crops like corn, wheat, and barley. One of the suspects, Yunqing Jian, is reportedly a member of the Chinese Communist Party and is suspected of smuggling other pathogens into the US on previous trips before being caught. Although Miller said the latest threat to US crops has been fully contained, Americans should be on alert for more acts of 'agroterrorism.' 'The concern goes beyond reduced yields; we could face toxins in bread, cereal, and livestock feed, which could disrupt our food supply. That means we must remain vigilant, stay informed, and stay ahead of risks,' Miller warned. Miller revealed that the dangerous fungus smuggled in, Fusarium graminearum, can easily spread through crops and then infect people. 'Grains contaminated and transferred to humans may cause nausea, vomiting, and immune system issues... this represents a serious threat to our personal health, food supply, and security,' the Texas Agriculture Commissioner said. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (pictured) warned on Wednesday that Americans need to watch for signs of tampering with US crops as global tensions rise Fusarium graminearum, also called head blight or scab, is so dangerous because it loves warm, wet conditions and spreads easily through spores carried by wind or rain. The fungus also produces mycotoxins, poisonous chemicals created when Fusarium graminearum grows on crops. These toxins are invisible, tasteless, and can stick around in food even after cooking or processing. Simply put, mycotoxins are tiny, harmful substances that sneak into food and can make you sick if you eat too much of them over time. They're especially dangerous to young children, pregnant women, and animals because they can cause serious health problems. 'I've said this before, and I'll repeat it again: we cannot allow anyone to compromise our national security,' Miller declared in a statement. 'I'm proud of Texas for responding promptly when those mysterious seeds from China returned. We must act consistently, stay proactive, assert our stance, and convey to the world that Texas agriculture is not to be trifled with,' he added. FBI director Kash Patel issued a chilling warning after the first pictures emerged of Jian on June 3. 'This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP[Chinese Communist Party] is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply,' Patel said. Jian, a University of Michigan postdoctoral fellow, has been charged alongside Zunyong Liu, 34, for the sinister plot allegedly tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Trump Administration has been cracking down on visas given to Chinese students, including those with connections to the CCP or studying in critical fields, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. If successful, US officials said this latest plot 'would have grave consequences... putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.' The duo have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements, and visa fraud. The Trump Administration has continued to claim that the CCP has been actively harming US industries through agricultural sabotage and costly trade restrictions. Both China and Russia are allies of Iran, which is currently in a deadly conflict with Israel and is under immense pressure from the US to end its nuclear weapon programs. Russia has already warned the US not to join the fighting on the side of Israel, warning that the move could lead to a full-scale war. On Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun criticized the US for 'fanning the flames' and 'pouring oil' on the Iran-Israel crisis, specifically referencing President Trump's warning for Iranians to evacuate Tehran. Texas's agricultural chief noted that their are four signs local crops may have been infected with a harmful fungus like Fusarium graminearum. Farmers and anyone living near crops should look out for bleached or prematurely whitened spikelets, the individual flower structures that make up the head (or 'spike') of the plant. Also watch for shriveled, lightweight, or chalky grains known as 'tombstone' kernels, the individual seeds or grains produced by the plant. Another sign of infection is pink or salmon-colored fungal growth at the base of infected kernels under moist conditions. Lastly, any crops that have dark brown discoloration on the rachis (the stem of the head) may cause spikelet sterility, where the plant doesn't produce usable seeds (grains). Fusarium graminearum has been responsible for causing billions of dollars worth of damage to livestock, wheat, barley, corn, and rice globally each year.
CBS News
17-06-2025
- CBS News
Plea deal discussed for Chinese national accused of smuggling pathogens in U.S.
Attorneys for one of the Chinese nationals accused of smuggling a "potential agroterrorism weapon" into the U.S. say they are working on a plea deal. Originally set to meet on Tuesday afternoon, Yunqing Jian's attorneys asked the court to move her preliminary hearing to early August. In the joint filing, prosecutors and Jian's defense team said, "The parties are currently engaged in plea negotiations and request this additional time so that they can continue." The 33-year-old postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, face charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. The pathogen at the center of the case, Fusarium graminearum, is a noxious fungus known to cause "head blight," a disease that affects barley, rice, wheat and maize, and causes economic losses worth billions of dollars each year. The court approved the motion, moving Jian's next hearing to Aug. 18. Jian remains in custody without bond until then.
South China Morning Post
15-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
How hapless Chinese scientists became ‘agroterrorists' in the US
Its name sounds forbidding – Fusarium graminearum – though most of us would have no idea what it is. But if the bosses at the FBI and the US Department of Justice made a big show of announcing the arrests of Chinese nationals charged with trying to smuggle samples into the United States in a suspected act of agroterrorism, you would be scared too. One of the three suspects is even a card-carrying Chinese communist. Case closed. Here's what Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, wrote in a long post on social media. 'The FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,' he wrote. 'The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which is an agroterrorism agent, into the US to research at the University of Michigan, where she works.' It gets worse: the woman is a communist! 'Evidence also indicates Jian had expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and had received funding from the Chinese government for similar work on this pathogen in China,' Patel continued. 'Jian's boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – also charged in the complaint – works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen. 'This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences ... putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.' Doesn't that sound scary? But wait, there are almost 100 million citizens who are party members in China. It's a bit like saying an American suspect is a Democratic or a Republican Party member.
