Posted on 06/04/2025 4:04:37 AM PDT by Renkluaf
A Chinese national couple was hit with criminal charges Tuesday for allegedly smuggling a dangerous fungus into the US capable of destroying crops and poisoning humans and livestock.
Zunyong Liu, 34, was caught by US Customs and Border Protection officers attempting to smuggle Fusarium graminearum – a biological pathogen considered to be “a potential agroterrorism weapon” – into the US via the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last July, according to a criminal complaint filed in a federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Liu initially made false statements about his visit to the US and his knowledge of the pathogen before admitting to law enforcement that he was bringing the noxious fungus to his girlfriend, 33-year-old University of Michigan lab researcher Yunqing Jian, according to authorities.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Idiot—I never suggested in the least otherwise.
It could be an evil biosabotage plot, but they could just be overzealous nerdy researchers. Sometimes very smart people can do very stupid things, such as becoming so enthralled by their work/hobby and so confident of their workskills that they don’t think of the possible consequences if things go wrong- the safety precautions and regulations aren’t meant for them, they must be for ordinary people, etc.
I guess we’ll find out via the federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan
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