Another day, another Chinese national in the United States, busted for doing something he shouldn't have been doing. This time it was a Chinese national, photographing aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
🚨#BREAKING: A 21-year-old Chinese national, Tianrui Liang, has been arrested and is facing charges after photographing a U.S. “doomsday plane” and other military aircraft without authorization at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He was taken into custody at JFK Airport…
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 21, 2026
The post reads in full:
A 21-year-old Chinese national, Tianrui Liang, has been arrested and is facing charges after photographing a U.S. “doomsday plane” and other military aircraft without authorization at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He was taken into custody at JFK Airport following the incident.
A Chinese national was arrested at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after federal authorities say he photographed sensitive military aircraft near Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and planned to target another installation as he prepared to leave the country.
Tianrui Liang, 21, is accused of violating a federal law that restricts photographing defense installations without authorization, according to court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York.
Authorities say Liang was taken into custody April 7 while attempting to board an international flight, just days after a warrant was issued in Nebraska.
One might think that the FBI scooped up young Liang as he was headed back to China.
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Nope. Here's the plot twist: Tianru Liang was headed back to the college where he is a student: The University of Glasgow. As in, Scotland.
Liang, who is understood to be studying aeronautical engineering in Scotland, was arrested at John F Kennedy Airport in New York on 7 April, where he had a reservation for a one way flight to Glasgow via Frankfurt. He is expected to appear in court later this month.
Well, he was a student of aeronautical engineering in Scotland. That explains everything; that explains why he flew all the way from Scotland, made his way to Nebraska, and just happened to film some of the United States Air Force's most sophisticated (and classifed) aircraft. I mean, that explains everything, right?
Right?
OK, yes, that was sarcasm. Fox News informs us:
According to an FBI affidavit, investigators were alerted after a witness reported seeing "a male holding a camera with a telescopic lens" near the base, where aircraft are stationed on the flight line.
Offutt hosts high-value reconnaissance and command aircraft, including the RC-135 surveillance plane and the E-4B "Nightwatch," often referred to as the military’s "doomsday plane."
Federal agents say Liang later admitted to photographing several aircraft at the base, "including the RC-135 and the E-4B."
That's a little too specific to be just a kid interested in airplanes. The Brits no doubt have some military aircraft he could have photographed; instead, he went all the way to Nebraska, almost as though someone had told him where to go and what airplanes to photograph. It's hard to see this as anything but deliberate.
We're going to have to start keeping a closer eye out for Chinese nationals with cameras.
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