Conspiracy theory

Covid-19: Who is Charles Lieber, the man conspiracy theorists say created the coronavirus?

In January, Harvard professor Charles Lieber was charged with lying to US federal authorities about payments he allegedly received from Wuhan University of Technology and concealing his participation in China’s Thousand Talents Plan, a state-run programme that recruits elite scientific talent.

Given that the coronavirus first appeared in Wuhan, however, Lieber’s apparent connections to the Chinese city quickly sparked internet rumours that he had in fact been arrested on suspicion of playing a part in manufacturing the virus.

This kind of speculation was only encouraged by Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, who said on Fox News in February that the question of whether the coronavirus came about in China by artificial means was one “we at least have to ask”.

Chinese nationals' arrest adds to Lieber rumours

The online gossip surrounding Lieber was further fuelled by the fact that his detention by US law enforcement was announced alongside that of two Chinese nationals, one of whom was described in a Facebook user's viral post as having been caught smuggling vials of “sensitive biological samples” back to China.

Lieber-was-behind-coronavirus claims debunked

But in an article that comprehensively debunks the idea that Lieber was apprehended for reasons relating to Covid-19, the fact-checking website Snopes.com clarifies that there is no connection between the arrests.