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(DC Pundit) – A 21-year-old Chinese national was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 7 after federal authorities say he spent time near one of the most sensitive military installations in the United States, photographing restricted aircraft.
Tianrui Liang faces federal charges for allegedly violating laws that prohibit photographing defense installations without authorization, according to court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York. A warrant had been issued in Nebraska just days before his arrest, as he attempted to board an international flight out of the country.
The installation at the center of this case is Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, home to U.S. Strategic Command, about as sensitive as military real estate gets. Offutt hosts some of the most high-value aircraft in the American arsenal, including the RC-135 surveillance plane and the E-4B “Nightwatch,” better known as the military’s “doomsday plane” — the airborne command post designed to keep the chain of command operational in the event of a nuclear attack.
According to an FBI affidavit, a witness spotted Liang near the base holding “a camera with a telescopic lens.” When investigators caught up with him, he admitted to photographing several aircraft at the base, “including the RC-135 and the E-4B.” He claimed the images were for his “personal collection” and said he used a “planespotter” website to identify photography locations. Investigators weren’t buying it. “He knew it was illegal to take pictures of the planes on the ground,” the affidavit flatly states.
𝗧𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗿𝘂𝗶 𝗟𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴, a 🇨🇳 national studying at 🇬🇧 University of Glasgow, has been charged with taking a series of images of aircraft at 🇺🇸 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘁 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲, home to the US Strategic Command, without permission. https://t.co/jjqSNU0IR8 pic.twitter.com/qRJPGB8Rft
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) April 21, 2026
A review of his camera confirmed “numerous photographs of planes located on the OAFB flightline.” Authorities also allege Liang planned to travel to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma to photograph additional aircraft, including another E-4B.
Liang was a student at Glasgow University in Scotland and had traveled through Canada before entering the United States. The affidavit stops short of alleging he was acting on behalf of the Chinese government, though connecting those dots doesn’t exactly require an advanced degree in geopolitics.
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