A 21-year-old Chinese national studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Glasgow, Scotland has been arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after allegedly photographing restricted military aircraft at one of America’s most sensitive air force bases.
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Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
Liang Tianrui was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Apr. 7, as he prepared to board a flight back to Glasgow via Frankfurt. He has been charged under Title 18 of the US Code, Section 795, which prohibits the photographing, sketching or mapping of vital military installations or equipment without authorisation.
According to an FBI affidavit, Liang photographed several aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, home to the U.S. Strategic Command. Among them was a Boeing E-4B, an aircraft designed to serve as a survivable airborne command post for senior U.S. military and government officials in the event of a national emergency. He also photographed a Boeing RC-135, a long-range reconnaissance aircraft.
Liang was in the United States on a B1/B2 visa, a temporary permit combining tourism and business purposes.
The journey that led to his arrest began on Mar. 26, when Liang flew from Scotland to Vancouver, Canada, where he met a friend studying at Columbia University in New York. Two days later, the pair drove across the U.S. border, travelling south through Seattle and on to Billings, Montana.
His friend then flew back to New York but Liang continued driving alone with a specific destination in mind.
His first stop was Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. According to the affidavit submitted by FBI special agent Noah Heflin, Liang travelled there with the intention of photographing the B-1B Lancer bomber. He arrived to find out that the aircraft were no longer stationed there.
Rather than turning back, Liang drove on to Offutt Air Force Base, south of Omaha. It is there, the FBI alleges, that he photographed the E-4B and RC-135 without the approval of the base commander. A witness reported seeing a man in a vehicle near the perimeter holding a camera fitted with a telescopic lens while an aircraft was on the runway.
Agent Heflin said in his affidavit that Liang had learned of Offutt from a planespotter website, which he claimed provided guidance on where photographs of various flightlines could be taken.
Liang reportedly told investigators that he was aware taking photographs at the base was illegal, but maintained the images were kept only for his personal collection.
The FBI’s full investigative report has not been made public. Access has been restricted, according to a court filing by special agent Jonathan Mosseau, due to concerns about an ongoing investigation into a named co-conspirator. The identity of that individual has not been disclosed.
Liang appeared before a court on Apr. 8, where a magistrate judge rejected the U.S. government’s request to detain him, releasing him on bail. The conditions required him to surrender his passport, remain within New York or Nebraska, and stay away from all U.S. military installations.
That decision was overturned the following day. Judge Robert F Rossiter Jr, sitting in the US District Court in Nebraska, sided with the government’s argument that Liang posed a considerable flight risk. He has been held in custody since.
Liang’s defence lawyer, Jeffrey Thomas of the Federal Public Defender’s office in Omaha, did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska said it was unable to comment at this time.
The University of Glasgow said it does not comment on ongoing police matters or individual students.