CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A University of Wyoming microbiology graduate student from China was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on accusations she poisoned a fellow student’s tea and then tried to flee the country, The Associated Press reported via KTAR News.
Aili Wang, 32, was arrested the day after police questioned her, prosecutors said. She had laptops, electronic storage devices and documents with her, which police now hold.
Prosecutors allege Wang bought the chemical acrylamide on eBay. It was detected when the alleged victim’s wife and others tested water from the coffee maker he used to brew tea.
The victim had pending patents, and the two did not get along, according to prosecutors. Surveillance video allegedly showed Wang going through his desk; his research was similar to work she once did in China.
Wang remained jailed without bail in Los Angeles.
U.S. officials have long accused China of stealing intellectual property from American universities, the AP noted.
Sources: Associated Press via KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Haines Photo Company / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
