Chinese student accused of photographing military aircraft makes first court appearance

OMAHA, Neb. (CN) — A 21-year-old Chinese citizen accused of photographing sensitive aircraft at a Nebraska military base should remain in custody, a federal magistrate judge ruled Friday.

Authorities arrested Tianrui Liang at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on April 7, where he had driven after being interviewed by the FBI in Nebraska.

After initially being released, authorities successfully appealed. Liang was again taken into custody on April 10.

Liang has been charged with a Class A misdemeanor, accused of violating a federal law barring the photographing or sketching of defense installations. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison. Liang has pleaded not guilty.

Although prosecutors have not charged Liang with espionage, the agent who authored a criminal complaint against him works on counterintelligence for the FBI.

The hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson took place at the Roman L. Hruska United States Courthouse in downtown Omaha.

A member of the U.S. Marshals Service escorted Liang into court in shackles. Wearing an orange jumpsuit from Cass County Jail, Liang was skinny, with a shock of black hair.

Jeffrey L. Thomas of the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Omaha asked Nelson to hold a detention hearing right away.

“In my view, all the facts and the law are presently before the court,” he said. He said his client had made arrangements to stay in Omaha for the proceedings.

Prosecutor Donald J. Kleine of the U. S. Attorney’s office in Omaha objected, describing Liang as a flight risk.

“I do believe there is a serious risk of flight,” Nelson concurred. He scheduled a detention hearing for the morning of Thursday, May 7.

In its complaint, which cited a witness, the FBI said a male was spotted outside Offutt Air Force Base in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue.

The incident happened while aircraft were on the runway. Base security and Air Force investigators responded, where they found Liang with a camera equipped with a telescopic lens. After learning he had a Chinese passport, they called the FBI.

Prior the incident, Liang had also visited a base in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he hoped to photograph B-1 bombers, authorities say. They say he also planned to visit another base near Oklahoma City afterward.

In the complaint, authorities say they pressed Liang on the “circuitous logistics” of his travels, which began after Liang met a friend in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The pair drove to Billings, Montana, where the friend caught a flight to New York. Liang planned to leave the car in Kansas City, then travel to Dallas and also fly to New York. He said it made more sense for the friend to pick the car up in Kansas City. He admitted to photographing military planes at Offutt, including an RC-135 and an E-4B.

After the interview, Liang consented to a search of his phone and camera. Authorities say the camera contained several pictures of the Offutt flightline.

The large amount of data found by investigators meant that prosecutors would need more time to share evidence with the defense, Kleine said in court on Friday.

“The discovery in this case is potentially voluminous,” he said. “The amount of data in the various devices is significant.” Nelson gave prosecutors until May 8.

In a motion waiving his right to a Mandarin interpreter, Liang said he was an aeronautical engineering student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He said he began learning English in China at age 8.

Offutt Air Force Base has long been an appealing target for foreign intelligence services — and the U.S. government zealously guards it. It’s the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command, home to sensitive command-and-control aircraft like the ones Liang is accused of photographing.

Enola Gay and Bockscar — the B-29 bombers that dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 — were both built at the Glen L. Martin Bomber plant at the base, which was then called Fort Crook. After World War II, Offutt became the nerve center of America’s land-based strategic bomber and missile forces.

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