OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A Chinese national with a warrant out of Nebraska was arrested at a New York airport after authorities say he was illegally photographing aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base.<\/p>\n
Court documents show the warrant was issued after authorities claimed Tianrui Liang had taken photos of Offutt Air Force Base on March 31 without prior approval from the base commander. An Offutt spokesman said Tuesday that the person arrested \u201cdid not gain access\u201d to the base.<\/p>\n
Liang was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on April 7. Court documents state that he had a one-way ticket to Europe, with flights to Frankfurt, Germany, and on to Glasgow, Scotland, where he said he was attending university.<\/p>\n
At the time of his arrest, Liang was holding a Chinese passport as well as a B-1\/B-2 visa<\/a>, which allows for temporary travel in the U.S. for business, medical treatment, or tourism.<\/p>\n On March 31, a witness reported to Offutt AFB authorities that they had seen a man in a vehicle pulled off the side of Harlan Lewis Road who was holding a camera with a telescopic lens, court documents state. Court records state that Liang admitted to photographing several planes at Offutt and that several such photos were found on his camera. Authorities also found some photos of his camera screen on his iPhone.<\/p>\n Offutt AFB provided the following statement on Tuesday: <\/p>\n \u201cOffutt Air Force Base is aware of recent media reporting regarding the arrest of an individual for allegedly photographing defense installations in violation of federal law.<\/p>\n To clarify, the individual in question did not gain access to Offutt Air Force Base.<\/p>\n This matter is part of an ongoing investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.<\/p>\n Offutt AFB is fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities.<\/p>\n Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we will defer additional questions to the FBI and are unable to provide further details at this time.”<\/p>\n Travel included other air base stops<\/p>\n According to the court documents, Liang told Offutt authorities when they questioned him in March that he was a student at University of Glasgow in Scotland who had traveled to Vancouver, Canada, to meet up with a friend, who is a student at Columbia University in New York. They planned to register a vehicle for the friend in Vancouver \u201cbecause it was cheaper,\u201d then drive it across the U.S. border there, the records state.<\/p>\n They reportedly drove the vehicle to Seattle and Billings, Mont., before the friend flew back to New York to resume classes. At that point, Liang allegedly continued traveling to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, where documents state that he took a screenshot of a map showing his phone had been geolocated next the flight light but outside the base perimeter. Liang apparently told authorities that he wanted to document that he had been there, stating that he wanted to take a photo of a specific plane only to find that it had been relocated to the U.K.<\/p>\n Records state Liang had planned to head to Kansas City and leave his friend\u2019s vehicle in the airport parking garage there, where his friend would later retrieve it and drive it back to New York. Liang, meanwhile, would rent another vehicle and drive to Oklahoma photograph specific planes at Tinker Air Force Base before continuing on to Dallas, Texas, where he would fly to New York before returning to Scotland on April 13. <\/p>\n \u201cLiang knew that the B1-B was a strategic bomber that \u2018dropped the weapon,\u2019\u201d the court records state. <\/p>\n He then drove to Offutt, where he was seen taking photos and was picked up for questioning. <\/p>\n According to the court records, Liang allowed the FBI to search his belongings, at which point authorities found he had taken several photos of planes at Offutt. He also had a drone with him, which he said didn\u2019t belong to him; he also said he hadn\u2019t flown it over Offutt. <\/p>\n Liang was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on April 7. <\/p>\n According to the court documents, Liang was repeatedly asked why he left the car in Kansas City and didn\u2019t simply continue driving it to New York. He said he wanted to travel to Texas and that it was the wrong direction from New York, so it made more sense for the friend to pick up the vehicle and drive it back himself. He also told authorities that his friend had warned him \u201cnot to get in trouble while photographing the military installations. Liang said he had also heard that the FBI might confiscate his electronics \u2014 and possibly not return them \u2014 if he was caught taking photos of military bases. <\/p>\n Sen. Pete Ricketts issued a statement on Tuesday on the matter: <\/p>\n \u201cI want to thank and praise the security forces at Offutt Air Force Base and the FBI special agents in Omaha for their work on this case. Offutt is home to U.S. Strategic Command, as well as critical aircraft like the RC-135 and E-4B. It is one of the most sensitive military installations in the country.<\/p>\n The threat of Communist China\u2019s spying efforts on sensitive American military sites is real and persistent. I\u2019ve made fighting against it my priority with bills like the AFIDA Improvements Act and the PLOT Act. These make sure foreign adversaries can\u2019t own American agricultural land.<\/p>\n I am glad that justice is being served. I will continue the fight to protect Nebraska servicemembers and America\u2019s security.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Reporter Brenna Kiefner and Producer Andrew Hood contributed to this report. <\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Watch breaking news unfold on our livestream. Download the First Alert 6 streaming app<\/a> to your TV or find us in your favorite streaming platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WOWT. 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