WASHINGTON (TNND) — A Chinese couple with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party is facing federal charges after being accused of smuggling a potentially dangerous agricultural fungus into the United States. The FBI has labeled the fungus a potential agroterrorism weapon.

The two Chinese nationals, Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu, have been charged with multiple counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, smuggling, and making false statements. The complaint against them was unsealed Tuesday, and Jian appeared in court the same day. The government told a judge in the Eastern District of Michigan that Jian was a flight risk and asked she continue to be held.

According to the criminal complaint, authorities discovered the toxic pathogen, called Fusarium graminearum, in Liu’s backpack at the Detroit airport last summer. Initially, Liu denied knowledge of the fungus but later confessed to hiding it. Both Liu and Jian are researchers who worked with the fungus, and Liu told authorities he was bringing it to the University of Michigan lab where Jian worked, in order to study it there. The complaint contains messages between the two from 2022 that show the couple talking about smuggling the fungus into the U.S.

“The Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply,” said FBI Director Kash Patel as part of a statement about the charges.

“This pathogen would directly affect and destroy our crops. Can you imagine the Chinese with some kind of a plot to undermine the United States by going after our food supply,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., told Fox Business when asked about the case.

Officials said the fungus can impact crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive problems in humans and livestock.

The charges come amid the State Department’s recent announcement to aggressively revoke visas of Chinese students, including ones with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

“The full force of law should come down on them. We should prevent any associated with the CCP from being at any of our universities,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said Tuesday.

The complaint alleges that the Chinese government funded some of Jian’s research and that she has pledged loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Jian is currently in custody, while Liu was denied entry into the country when the discovery was made last summer and remains at large.

In a statement, the University of Michigan said in part it condemned “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission. It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals.”