Two Chinese nationals, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, face federal charges after allegedly smuggling a crop-destroying fungus into the U.S., raising concerns about agroterrorism. The fungus, Fusarium graminearum, threatens vital crops like corn, rice, and barley, and can cause significant economic and health damage.
According to court documents, Jian hid the fungus in his backpack upon entering the U.S., intending to study it at a University of Michigan lab. U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon called the act a “grave national security concern,” noting Jian’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese-government funding.
FBI Director Kash Patel warned the incident may reflect broader CCP efforts to undermine U.S. agriculture, citing the fungus’s potential to cause “head blight,” which harms crops and livestock and leads to billions in losses.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, the FBI arrested Egyptian national Mohamed Soliman, accused of conducting a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado. Soliman, in the U.S. illegally, injured eight people using Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower at a pro-Israel rally, claiming he intended to “kill all Zionist people.”
Authorities said his actions resemble a “lone wolf” attack, raising further national security alarms amid rising tensions and targeted violence in the U.S.
