National Security and Biosecurity

FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday that post‑doctoral researcher Youhuang Xiang, a Chinese national working in the U.S. on a visa, has been charged with allegedly smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the country and making false statements about it, after receiving biological materials hidden in a package from China for use at an unnamed U.S. university. Patel warned that uncontrolled E. coli could devastate U.S. crops and cause major economic damage, praised the FBI’s Indianapolis and Chicago field offices and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and urged universities to be vigilant and ensure researchers follow legal import/export licensing procedures for biological materials.