Federal authorities have arrested a 21-year-old Chinese college student for unlawfully photographing sensitive U.S. military aircraft during a cross-country trip that took him to multiple Air Force installations.
Tianrui Liang was taken into custody on April 7 at a New York airport as he attempted to board a flight to Glasgow, Scotland, where he is enrolled in school, according to FBI court documents.
The student confessed to federal investigators that he exited his vehicle on a public roadway in late March to capture images of an RC-135 reconnaissance plane and an E-4B aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, the FBI reported.
The E-4B aircraft, nicknamed “Nightwatch,” functions as a mobile command headquarters for the president and senior military leaders during national emergencies, the Air Force explains.
Federal law prohibits photographing or sketching military installations without proper authorization, the FBI noted. While pictures of these aircraft types can be found on the internet, taking unauthorized photos at defense facilities remains illegal.
During questioning, Liang told federal agents that it was “legal to take pictures of the sky, but he knew it was illegal to take pictures of the planes on the ground,” according to the FBI. He claimed the photographs were intended for his personal collection.
Defense attorney Jeff Thomas, representing Liang, refused to provide comment on Tuesday. The defendant has yet to make his initial appearance before a federal judge in Omaha.
Court records show Liang arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 26 to meet with a friend who studies at a New York college. The pair crossed into the United States through Washington state, after which Liang traveled solo to visit Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Federal investigators say he also expressed interest in visiting Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
This incident follows a pattern of similar charges filed against Chinese college students at military installations.
In 2023, five men faced charges for lying and attempting to conceal their activities after being discovered in darkness near a Michigan military facility during training exercises. All five had graduated from the University of Michigan and apparently returned to China before formal charges were filed, never appearing in court.
Two years earlier, in 2020, a pair of Chinese nationals pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Michigan received prison sentences for illegally photographing a naval air station in Key West, Florida.
