Biological weapons
FILE - In this June 19, 2009 file photo, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a sermon with a picture of the late spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini in the background, during Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran. Khamenei was among the first and most powerful world leaders to suggest the coronavirus could be a biological weapon created by the U.S. (Meisam Hosseini/Hayat News Agency via AP, File)
The superspreaders behind top COVID-19 conspiracy theories

By David Klepper, Farnoush Amiri And Beatrice Dupuy Feb. 15, 2021 12:10 AM EST

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2020 file photo, Russian national Igor Nikulin speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia. Nikulin argues the U.S. created the virus and used it to attack China. Nikulin says he is a former U.N. arms inspector, but the man who would have been his boss said he's never heard of him. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
COVID conspiracy shows vast reach of Chinese disinformation

By Erika Kinetz Feb. 15, 2021 12:04 AM EST

FILE - In this March 19, 2020 file photo, biological science specialists, background, wear biosafety protective clothing for handling viral diseases at U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. On March 9, 2020, a public WeChat account called "Happy Reading List" reposted an essay claiming the U.S. military created SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at a lab in Fort Detrick and loosed it in China during the Military World Games, an international competition for military athletes, held in Wuhan in October 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Anatomy of a conspiracy: With COVID, China took leading role

By Erika Kinetz Feb. 15, 2021 12:03 AM EST

Grand jury charges man with threatening to spread virus

May. 22, 2020 12:27 AM EDT
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man accused of coughing on and spitting at police officers while claiming to be infected with the coronavirus was indicted on a...

US charges 2 with terror crimes over threats to spread virus

By Michael Balsamo Apr. 08, 2020 04:45 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department charged two people with federal terrorism offenses on Wednesday for allegedly claiming they were intentionally trying...