As with most cases that have been engraved in our collective memory, many conspiracy theories are being produced about the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has become a global pandemic. Currently, Professor of Harvard University. Dr. The allegations that Charles Lieber was arrested for selling the coronavirus produced in the USA to China have become viral on social media. According to Crowdtangle, different versions of this claim were shared on Facebook in more than 79,000 languages as of April 7, 2020. In the publications shared with the official statement video of the US Department of Justice, “The USA found the man who produced the coronavirus bio-weapon and sold it to China: Professor of Chemistry and Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Charles Lieber. According to information from official sources “Lieber was arrested today.” Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University. Dr. Charles Lieber So, does this claim have a primer? Namely, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Charles Lieber really arrested him after he was detained on January 28, 2020, but not because of the new type of coronavirus creature or selling it to China. Professor Dr. Lieber was arrested for making false statements about China’s participation in a funding program and disregarding his agreement with Harvard, receiving fees from Wuhan University of Technology (WUT). Professor Dr. Lieber arrested for pretending to lie to American officials On January 28, 2017, prosecutors charged Lieber with misleading information about his program called ‘Thousand Talents Plan’, which aims to attract researchers working abroad to China. According to the US Department of Justice’s statement on the subject, Prof. Dr. Lieber starts working as a “Strategic Scientist” at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), unaware of his Harvard University. The American researcher, who was a contracted participant in the ‘Thousand Talents Plan’ program between 2012 and 2017, has both made a false statement and been in close contact with the Chinese government during this time, but while doing all this, she neither informs Harvard University nor the American authorities. All these developments, by users on social media, Prof. Dr. Lieber was circulating that Lieber was arrested for creating a new type of coronavirus and selling it to China. Other users who saw the official video of the U.S. Department of Justice shared it, thinking that the claim was correct. However, previously, claims that the new coronavirus was genetically engineered or produced in a laboratory have been disproved. In short, Harvard University Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department Head. Dr. Charles Lieber was arrested on the grounds that he made false statements about a grant program funded by the Chinese government, not because he produced or sold the new type coronavirus as a biological weapon.
