Chinese National Charged for Photographing US Military Planes on Road Trip From Vancouver

A United States Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft takes off from Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 25, 2006. Getty Images/Ethan Miller

A Chinese national has been accused of illegally photographing U.S. military aircraft in Nebraska during a road trip that authorities say started in Vancouver.

Twenty-one-year-old college student Tianrui Liang was arrested at a New York airport on April 7 while trying to leave the United States for Glasgow, Scotland, where he is studying, the FBI said in a recently published court filing.

Liang went on a multistate road trip after flying into Vancouver, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. He crossed the border into Washington state on March 28 on a valid B1/B2 visa.

Liang’s road trip included a stop near Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota before travelling on to Nebraska, where he stopped at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, the FBI said in the court document.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations was alerted on March 31 after a witness reported seeing “a male holding a camera with a telescopic lens” at a public road bordering the base’s fenced perimeter, according to the court documents.

The male was identified by investigators arriving at the scene as Liang. The accused told police he got out of his car to take pictures and admitted to photographing a Boeing RC-135, a four-engine reconnaissance aircraft, flying near Offutt, which serves as headquarters for the U.S. Strategic Command.

He also admitted to capturing images of an E-4B, a highly modified Boeing 747-200 known as “Nightwatch,” that is meant as an airborne command post for the president, secretary of defence, and joint chiefs of staff in a national emergency or nuclear war.

Taking pictures of military bases or reconnaissance aircraft without authorization is illegal and can lead to federal charges, according to the FBI.

Liang told investigators he thought it was “legal to take pictures of the sky” but knew it was against the law to take pictures of the planes on the ground, the FBI said.

Investigators said a search of his camera revealed “numerous photographs of planes located on the [Offutt Air Force Base] flightline.”

Liang told the authorities he used a website called “planespotter” to identify legal locations for photographing planes and said the photographs were meant for his personal collection, according to the FBI affidavit.

The FBI said Liang had also planned to drive to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma after taking photos at Offutt Air Force Base before flying back to Scotland.

The federal agency obtained an arrest warrant for Liang and he was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on April 7, the Department of Justice said.

Liang has been charged by complaint for conduct and is in custody.

“The investigation into whether more serious charges are implicated by the facts in this case is ongoing,” the Department of Justice said.  “The arrest warrant was pursued to prevent Liang fleeing the country while the investigation was ongoing.”

The case remains under FBI investigation and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“Any individuals who unlawfully attempt to acquire sensitive information about military aircraft located in the District of Nebraska will be held maximumly accountable under federal law,” U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods said in the press release.

Liang could face up to a year in jail if convicted.

Past Cases

There have been several cases in recent years involving Chinese nationals or people with ties to China being charged after taking photos at military bases.

A Canadian citizen who emigrated from China in 2001 was charged by U.S. authorities for allegedly using a drone to take photos of a military base in Florida last winter, and U.S. immigration officials deported a Chinese national last May who was convicted of using a drone to photograph a naval shipyard in Virginia.

Five men were charged with misleading investigators and trying to cover their tracks after being confronted in the dark in 2023 near a military installation in Michigan, where thousands had assembled for training exercises. The men completed their studies at the University of Michigan and are thought to have returned to China months before being charged.

In 2020, three Chinese nationals were handed prison sentences for illegally taking photographs at a naval air station in Key West, Florida.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.