False headline claim: Harvard Professor arrested for creating and selling the new coronavirus to China

A viral claim on social media alleges the U.S. government has “just discovered and arrested” Dr. Charles Lieber from Harvard University, for “manufacturing and selling” the new coronavirus to China. Different iterations of the claim have been shared in multiple languages over 79,000 times on Facebook as of April 7,2020, according to Crowdtangle. ( here , here , here ).

Some posts include a genuine news report from an ABC station, along with false video descriptions. One post claims: “USA just discovered the man who manufactured and sold the Coronavirus bio-weapon to China; Dr Charles Lieber, Head of Chemistry and Biology department at Harvard University, USA. He was just arrested today, according to American department sources. #StaySafe”

While the Department of Justice did arrest Dr. Charles Lieber, chair of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, this was not for creating the new coronavirusnor nor for selling it to China. Lieber and two non-Harvard Chinese researchers were charged with lying about their alleged links to the Chinese government. Reuters reported on his arrest here .