Feds Suspect ‘Agroterrorism’ After Pathogen Smuggled Into Detroit Airport

Officials say the biological pathogen has been classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon by scientific literature.

What is Agroterrorism?

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According to the FBI agroterrorism is defined as,

'the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease for the purpose of generating fear, causing economic losses, or undermining social stability'....[which] can help terrorists cause economic crises in the agriculture and food industries. Secondary goals include social unrest and loss of confidence in government.

Because if you're trying to destroy an enemy and cause civil unrest it would make sense to target critical infrastructure and food supplies. This is scary stuff.

What's even scarier is the recent news from FBI officials that a "biological pathogen" was found right here in Michigan. According to a new report and unsealed criminal complaint 33 year old Yunqing Jian,

...received Chinese government funding for her work on this pathogen in China. It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu...first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America—through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport—so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked.

About Fusarium graminearum

According to sources the Fusarium Head Blight pathogen as its known is responsible for billions of dollars in crops lost worldwide each year. Affecting wheat, barley, corn, and rice, if ingested as food they can cause harm to humans and reproduction defects in livestock.

The federal complaint alleges Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggled the pathogen through the Detroit Metro Airport in July 2024. Fox2 Detroit writes Customs and Border Patrol agents found wadded tissues with a red plant material in his backpack and when originally asked Liu lied about the reason for his visit and the items in his possession.

Jian recently appeared in federal court in Detroit to face the charges levied against her. Adds U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan,

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is completed, a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment. The FBI and CBP are investigating this case.