WASHINGTON

The FBI arrested a Chinese national Tuesday who allegedly smuggled a biological pathogen into the US.

Yunqing Jian was "alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which is an agroterrorism agent, into the U.S. to research at the University of Michigan, where she works," the bureau’s director, Kash Patel, said on X.

Patel said Jian had expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and had received funding from the Chinese government for similar work on the pathogen in China.

Jian’s boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, was also charged in the complaint, he added.

"Liu is alleged to have first lied, then admitted, to also smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America—through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport—so that he too could conduct research at the University of Michigan.

"Both individuals have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements and visa fraud," Patel added.