Five Chinese citizens accused of concealing their midnight excursion to a military facility in Michigan.
Five individuals, who were currently enrolled at the University of Michigan, weren't indicted for the incidents at Camp Grayling in August 2023. Instead, they're alleged to have deceived investigators regarding the trip and orchestrated plans to erase pictures from their devices, as stated in a criminal complaint submitted to federal court.
In a Tuesday court filing, the FBI emphasized that instances of college students from China had taken photographs of crucial defense facilities within the United States.
No specific location was uncovered in the file concerning the whereabouts of the five individuals.
Gina Balaya, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit, reported on Wednesday, "The accused are not in custody. Upon encountering U.S. authorities, they will be detained and charged with these offenses."
During the summer of 2023, the five came under scrutiny at midnight close to a lake by a sergeant major with the Utah National Guard. One claimed, "We are media," before gathering their belongings and agreeing to vacate the premises, according to the FBI.
Operatives from the FBI discovered that the men had reserved a room at a nearby motel a week prior to their visibility at Camp Grayling, located 200 miles north of Detroit.
Four months later, one of the men conversed with border officers at Detroit airport before embarking on a journey to South Korea and China. He informed investigators that they had visited northern Michigan to witness shooting stars, the FBI reported.
An examination of his external hard drive by the FBI revealed two photos of military vehicles captured on the same night of encountering the National Guard officer.
The remaining four men were questioned last March upon their arrival in Chicago via a flight from Iceland. They acknowledged visiting northern Michigan in August 2023, but claimed it was to witness a meteor shower.
They mentioned the National Guard officer but referred to him only as "the soldier," a camper or "nice guy," as detailed in the criminal complaint.
The men were noticed discussing the clearing of photos from their cameras and phones on WeChat in December 2023, according to investigators.
All five students successfully graduated from the University of Michigan in the spring of 2023. They had participated in a joint program between the university and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.
Two Chinese nationals who were studying for master's degrees at the University of Michigan were imprisoned in 2020 for illegally photographing locations at a naval air station in Key West, Florida.
The five individuals, being alumni of the University of Michigan, are currently avoiding charges in their homeland. Upon returning to the United States, they will likely face detention and formal accusations.
In light of previous incidents, the US authorities remain vigilant towards students from Chinese universities visiting sensitive military locations in the country.
