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A warning has been issued by an expert following the arrests of two Chinese individuals who have been charged with smuggling a fungus that can destroy crops into the country, stating that agroterrorism by foreign adversaries could lead to significant disruption in the United States.
Kristofor Healey, in an interview with Fox News Digital, defined agroterrorism as the deliberate act of bringing substances into the U.S. with the purpose of affecting the food supply. He mentioned that such acts involve biological entities like the fungus discovered in Michigan, which are engineered to target vital components of the nation’s agricultural sector.
Having served in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for 15 years, initially in immigration enforcement and later in counter-corruption efforts, Healey now operates as a private investigator and an expert witness.
Baggies seized by Border Patrol contain the dangerous fungus fusarium graminearum. (FBI)
“I would suggest that is something we need to be thinking about a lot more, because we just came off, five years ago, the entire world being shut down by what now appears to be a biological item that leaked from a laboratory and then infected millions of people and killed millions of people around the globe,” he said.
Healey warned that Americans should be prepared in the event of such an attack.
“You don’t have to be a prepper and build a silo in Nebraska and bury all your food supplies and wait for the end of the road, but you do have to be thinking a little bit down the road,” he said. “Be prepared in the sense that you’re the kind of person who’s looking down the road. Not 24 hours in the future, but looking weeks and sometimes months in the future and preparing accordingly.”
Jian and Liu have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud. They remain in federal custody.
