Chinese Student Arrested for Allegedly Photographing Planes at US Military Base

‘The tentacles of Chinese Communist Party spy apparatus poses a real threat to our country,’ Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said.
Chinese Student Arrested for Allegedly Photographing Planes at US Military Base
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in New York City on Feb. 7, 2019. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

A Chinese college student has been arrested after federal authorities discovered that he had illegally photographed U.S. military planes near Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, an incident that prompted concerns from Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, about national security.

Liang Tianrui, 21, was arrested at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 7 while attempting to leave the United States after a judge in Nebraska issued a warrant four days earlier, according to a court document filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He is now being charged with one count of photographing or sketching defense installations without authorization.
Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
Reporter
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a Master's degree in materials science from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.
twitter