Chinese Student Detained At JFK Over Photos Of US ‘Doomsday Plane’ At Offutt Air Force Base

New York: A 21-year-old Chinese national and aeronautical engineering student has been arrested by federal agents in New York after allegedly photographing highly sensitive US military aircraft from outside Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Tianrui Liang was detained at John F Kennedy International Airport on April 7, as he attempted to board a flight to Frankfurt en route to Glasgow.

Tianrui Liang, who studies at the University of Glasgow, is charged under 18 USC § 795, a seldom-used federal statute that bars unauthorised photography of designated military installations and equipment. The prosecutors asserted that he took images of the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, known as the ‘Doomsday Plane’, and a Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft while standing outside the perimeter of Offutt, home to US Strategic Command.

The law enforcement agencies stressed that Tianrui Liang did not enter the base and has not been charged with espionage. Instead, the case centres on photographs taken from publicly accessible vantage points. According to an FBI affidavit, in his statement, the Chinese student stated that the pictures were for his personal collection and that he had used planespotting websites to locate suitable viewing spots.

As per reports, the court filings show Liang entered the United States on March 28, crossing from Vancouver into Washington state on a valid B1/B2 visa. He was travelling with a friend who studies in New York. The pair drove through Seattle, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska before heading east.

The FBI affidavit stated that Liang first visited Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota with the intention of photographing B-1B Lancer bombers. He then went on to Offutt in Bellevue, Nebraska, where a witness reported seeing a man with a camera and a telescopic lens near the installation. The base officials confirmed that he never gained access and said that they are cooperating with the investigation. The filings also indicated that he planned to travel to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma to photograph additional E-4Bs before leaving the country.

Tianrui Liang was arrested at JFK under a Nebraska warrant as he prepared to depart. He appeared before a magistrate judge in New York on April 8 and was initially released on bail. However, Chief District Judge Robert F Rossiter Jr. in Nebraska reversed that decision on April 9, agreeing with prosecutors that Liang posed a considerable flight risk. He was taken back into federal custody on April 10 and is now held by the US Marshals Service, awaiting proceedings in Nebraska.

According to reports, the charge the Chinese national faced stems from Executive Order 10104, signed in 1950, which defines categories of classified military equipment protected under 18 U.S.C. § 795. The offence carries up to one year in prison and a fine. The legal observers suggested that the statute is rarely enforced and has, when used, often involved foreign nationals photographing US bases.

The Department of Justice has not alleged any link between Liang and a foreign intelligence service, and no espionage charges have been filed. The officials stated that the investigation into whether more serious charges apply remains ongoing. However, the case has drawn sharp criticism on social media, given that the US Air Force itself publishes images of the E-4B on its official website, raising questions about whether prosecuting public photography of the aircraft is proportionate.

As per reports, planespotting is largely practised and generally tolerated near military bases in the UK and Europe, and Liang would have been accustomed to a more permissive environment in Scotland. A University of Glasgow spokesperson declined to comment, saying that the institution does not discuss ongoing police matters or individual students.

The E-4B Nightwatch serves as the National Airborne Operations Center, a command-and-control platform for the US President, Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff during nuclear war, major disasters or terrorism. Based on the Boeing 747-200, it is hardened against electromagnetic pulse and nuclear effects, supports in-flight refuelling, and can carry 111 personnel. Notably, at least one of the four-aircraft fleet is on alert at all times.

However, maintaining the ageing jets has become costly, with the Government Accountability Office estimating operating costs at roughly $372,496 per flight hour. Boeing ended 747 production in 2022, complicating spare parts procurement. In April 2024 the US Air Force awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation a $13 billion contract to develop the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center, with 5 ex-Korean Air 747-8Is acquired for conversion. The flight testing of the first prototype began on August 7, last year, in Ohio’s Dayton. The planning documents from January 2026 suggested that the fleet could grow to 6 or 8 aircraft, with delivery slated by July 2036.