A GLASGOW university student is facing prison in the United States after pleading guilty to taking unauthorised photographs of several aircraft at a major military base.
Tianrui Liang, a Chinese national studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Glasgow, admitted taking the images at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, home to the US Strategic Command, without permission.
According to the FBI, the 21-year-old photographed several aircraft at the base, including a Boeing RC-135, a reconnaissance aircraft, and a Boeing E-4B known as the Doomsday plane, which serves as a survivable mobile command post for senior US military and government officials during national emergencies.
The charge falls under title 18 of the US code, section 795, which bans the photographing, sketching, drawing, or mapping of “vital” military and naval installations or equipment without permission.
Liang was arrested at JFK airport in New York on April 7, where he was set to travel to Glasgow via Frankfurt, where he studied for the last three years.
He now faces up to a year in prison and a significant fine. Liang is scheduled to be sentenced at the Omaha court on June 18.
In the wake of his arrest, US attorney, Lesley Woods, said: “Any individuals who unlawfully attempt to acquire sensitive information about military aircraft located in the District of Nebraska will be held maximumly accountable under federal law.”
FBI special agent Noah Heflin submitted an affidavit to the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York that outlined Liang's plans.
The agent, working in counterintelligence, reported that Liang first flew to Vancouver, Canada, on March 26 to meet with a friend, a student at Columbia University in New York.
They then drove together across the border into the US on March 28, travelling first to Seattle, Washington, before Billings, Montana.
After his friend left to fly back to New York on March 28, Liang then drove the vehicle to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, where he had wanted to photograph the B-1B aircraft, a strategic bomber, only to find out that it had been moved. He then went on to Offutt Air Force Base.
A petition filed with the US District Court for Nebraska reportedly showed that Liang’s defence lawyer, Jeffrey Thomas, based in the Federal Public Defender’s Omaha office, filed a guilty plea on behalf of his client earlier this month, according to The Scotsman.
Thomas reportedly also filed a motion with the US District Court, where he argued that sentencing guidelines meant that Liang should receive a sentence of no more than six months.
Under the legislation, the 21-year-old could also face a fine of up to $100,000 (£85,890).
Michael Nelson, the judge presiding over the case, ordered that Liang remain in custody, stating that the court had “limited information” about him, his family, and ties to other countries.
A University of Glasgow spokesperson previously said: “We do not comment on ongoing police matters or individual students.”
