A 21-year-old Chinese man has pleaded guilty in federal court to photographing planes at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Tianrui Liang pleaded guilty Thursday to the charges over photos he took of planes at the base from just outside its perimeter on March 31, according to court records.
The planes included the E-4B, which acts as a “National Airborne Operations Center” when necessary, and the RC-135 reconnaissance plane, according to an affidavit filed against Liang.
Liang admitted to law enforcement that he knew that taking pictures of the planes on the ground was illegal. He said that he wanted to ascertain their “status” and that the photos were for his personal collection, according to the affidavit.
Offutt Air Force Base was not the only place Liang planned to visit. The University of Glasgow student flew into Vancouver on March 26 to meet a friend who attends Columbia University, then crossed the border on March 28.
Liang and his friend then stopped in Billings, Montana. The friend, Zhihe Tian, flew back to New York to attend school, while Liang went to snap photos of a B1-B bomber at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, about 320 miles northeast of Denver, per the affidavit.
The B1-B plane had been relocated to the United Kingdom, and Liang continued on from South Dakota to Nebraska, with plans to then leave the car at the airport in Kansas City for Mr. Tian to come pick up after flying back from New York.
Liang was going to rent a car and travel to Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City, and from there go to Dallas and fly to New York City before leaving the U.S. for Scotland on April 13, according to the affidavit.
He was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on April 7, ahead of a flight that would have taken him to Frankfurt, Germany. From there, he was going to head to Scotland, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
Liang is still in custody pending the conclusion of his trial, according to court records. He faces up to one year in prison unless other, more serious charges are levied against him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska said.
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