Feds Nab Chinese Man Accused Of Taking Photos Of U.S. Military Base That Hosts ‘Doomsday’ Plane

U.S. authorities arrested a Chinese national at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City earlier this month who is accused of traveling to Nebraska and taking pictures of military aircraft near Offutt Air Force Base.

Tianrui Liang also allegedly planned to travel to Oklahoma to photograph more military aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base, Fox News reported. The 21-year-old Chinese national is charged with violating U.S. law prohibiting people from photographing or sketching defense installations, according to court documents.

Authorities were first alerted to suspicious activity near Offutt Air Force Base after a person witnessed “a male holding a camera with a telescopic lens” near the military installation, according to an FBI affidavit.

Offutt Air Force Base is one of the most sensitive military installations in the United States and is the home of U.S. Strategic Command, which is responsible for nuclear defense and global strike operations. The base also hosts some of the U.S. military’s most powerful reconnaissance aircraft, including the E-4B “Nightwatch,” or “doomsday plane,” which is designed for military leaders or the president to use in the case of a nuclear war.

Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City is home to the Air Force Sustainment Center, which focuses on maintaining the Air Force’s “Weapons System Readiness.”

Liang was charged in Nebraska on April 3 and was arrested at JFK International Airport four days later. Liang was taken into custody just before he boarded a plane for Frankfurt, Germany, after which he planned to fly to Glasgow, Scotland, according to court documents. The Chinese national was in the United States on a non-immigrant B1/B2 visa, which authorizes temporary travel to America for foreign tourists or people on business trips or visiting family.

Liang told authorities at the airport that he had been previously questioned by law enforcement over the allegations, according to court documents.

Multiple Chinese nationals have been arrested in recent years for taking pictures near U.S. military bases. In August 2023, five Chinese nationals who were former students at the University of Michigan were caught taking pictures of military equipment during joint training exercises between the National Guard and the Taiwanese military at Camp Grayling in northern Michigan, according to authorities.

Last December, a Chinese national was arrested for taking videos of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. He also took numerous photos of military equipment and the base’s perimeter fencing, according to the Justice Department.