Two Chinese scientists have been charged with smuggling a toxic biological pathogen into the US.
Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are facing charges of smuggling, conspiracy, visa fraud, and false statements.
According to the US attorney's office for the eastern district of Michigan, the pair schemed to smuggle a fungus called Fusarium graminearum.
Harmful affects of the fungus
In a statement, they further added, that the fungus can cause "head blight," a disease of crops, and is also responsible for globally losing billions of dollars in economic.
The fungus is classified as "potential agroterrorism weapon" in scientific literature.
It causes liver, damage, vomiting, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.
According to FBI, Liu, a researcher currently in China, brought the fungus into the US while visiting his girlfriend Jian last year.
The 34-year-old scientist was planning to conduct research on the fungus at University of Michigan lab, where his partner worked.
According to official documents, Jian and Liu had previously conducted work on the fungus in China.
US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr described the smuggling of the fungus into the US as a "national security" issue and emphasised Jian's involvement with Chinese Communist Party.
Notably, US secretary of state Marco Rubio vowed last week to "aggressively revoke visas" for Chinese students, a move which was met with a strong backlash.
