Two Chinese researchers were charged with smuggling a biological pathogen that they planned to study at a University of Michigan lab, a complaint filed Tuesday says.

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced charges against two Chinese scholars accused of smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen with agroterrorism potential into the United States.

Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu allegedly brought into the US a fungus which damages a variety of crops and is toxic to humans and animals.