Glasgow Uni student could spend a year in prison for taking photos of US military planes

An international aeuronautical engineering student at Glasgow University has pleaded guilty to federal charges after he was arrested for photographing US warplanes.

On Sunday 7th April, FBI agents intercepted Tianrui Liang at JFK Airport, just as he was about to board a flight home to Glasgow via Frankfurt. Liang now remains in federal custody ahead of his June sentencing, where he faces up to a year behind bars.

According to counter-intelligence agents, Liang flew into Vancouver to meet a friend from Columbia University. The pair drove across the US border through Seattle and Montana. The friend then returned to New York, leaving Liang to travel alone.

Liang first drove to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to photograph the B1-1B strategic nuclear bomber. Finding the planes missing, he used a public plane-spotting website to redirect to Offutt Air Force base in Nebraska. This base is home to some of America’s most sensitive command and control aircraft.

via Wikimedia Commons

At Offutt, Liang photographed a Boeing-RC-135 reconnaissance spy plan and a Boeing E-4B Doomsday plane. The E-4B jet is as a military command post, during national emergencies and in the event of a nuclear war. Local authorities notified the FBI, upon discovering Liang holds a Chinese passport.

On Tuesday 7th May, Liang pleaded guilty to violating US Code section 795, a Class A misdemeanour prohibiting photography of defence installations. However, US Judge Micheal Nelson ordered Liang to remain in custody, due to a lack of information regarding him, his family, foreign ties and travel plans.

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Following the arrest, US attorney Lesley Woods, issued a stern warning: “Any individual, who unlawfully attempts to acquire sensitive information about military aircraft will be held maximally accountable under federal law.”

via Wikimedia Commons

In court, defence lawyer Jeffrey Thomas pushed for a lighter six month sentence, so Liang could resume his studies in Glasgow. Citing his clean criminal record, Thomas noted Liang had been “obsessively engaged in the hobby of airplane spotting” since 2020.

”Though it is not to be excused […] it is appropriately viewed in that context,“ the defence said.

Nonetheless, Liang faces up to a year in prison and a significant fine of up to $100,000, equivalent to £85,890.

When approached for comment, a University of Glasgow spokesperson said: “We do not comment on ongoing police matters or individual students.”

Featured image via Toshi Aoki – JP Spotters under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0