Michigan Students Accused of Smuggling ‘Potential Agroterrorism’ Fungus Into the U.S.

The Trump administration claims two students from China smuggled a rare fungus into the U.S. that could potentially be used as an “agroterrorism weapon” due to its ability to destroy farm crops. The government has arrested one of the students, while the other is believed to be in China. Trump’s Justice Department has hit Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, with several serious charges, including conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. The students, who were a couple at one point, have been engaged in work at the University of Michigan, some of which was funded by the Chinese government, according to federal officials. A press release shared by the government Tuesday claims that the two students smuggled a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. The fungus, according to the government, is capable of producing a destructive crop-killing disease known as “head blight” that can impact a variety of harvests, including “wheat, barle ... Read full article.