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Lawmakers are demanding answers and stricter controls on dangerous pathogens after authorities uncovered a suspected unauthorized biolab inside a Las Vegas home, fueling concerns about potential Chinese government ties.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said the most important thing in the wake of the biolab's discovery is to investigate whether the homeowner, who investigators identified as Jia Bei Zhu, has any ties to the Chinese government — especially given that he is already in federal custody following the discovery of an unauthorized biolab in Reedley, California, in 2023.
This image from video provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows law enforcement searching a house in Las Vegas on Jan. 31. (LVMPD via AP)
The property manager of the home, Israeli citizen Ori Solomon, was arrested Saturday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of disposing and discharging hazardous waste, police said.
"We've got to remember, Bret, that the Chinese government's not our friend," Hawley told Fox News' Bret Baier Wednesday on "Special Report."
"This is a pattern that we've seen where the Chinese government has tried to use Chinese nationals. We don't know if this is true in this case, but we know it's true in other cases — on our university campuses, for example — to try to get access to top research."
Hawley said the Chinese government has "directly funded" these efforts, including trying to "place nationals into sensitive research projects, into sensitive positions at our universities, into sensitive laboratories."
A hazmat-suited worker searches through materials found at a Las Vegas home under investigation. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
More than 1,000 pieces of evidence with "potential biological and hazardous materials" were primarily located in a locked garage of Zhu's home, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a press briefing on Monday, raising questions as to how Zhu got access to them.
Suspected agents containing tuberculosis, the dengue virus, HIV, and the deadliest known form of malaria were found in the facility for which Zhu was busted in 2023.
"It wouldn't take much of these deadly pathogens to kill thousands of Americans," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on "The Ingraham Angle" Wednesday.
Cotton said there are "very limited controls on the provision of these deadly pathogens to end users," calling for the implementation of stricter checks by providers of these materials "to make sure that [they are] actually being used for proper purposes, not being used for whatever this Chinese national is doing in Reedley and Las Vegas."
The Arkansas senator said he has introduced legislation to this end, pointing to a "clear pattern" of Chinese involvement in potential biosecurity hazards.
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Hawley and Cotton both emphasized that it is currently unknown whether there are biolabs in other homes and whether the CCP is directly involved.
"I think we better find out really quick," Hawley said.
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Max Bacall is an Associate Editor for the Flash/Media/Culture team at Fox News Digital.
