The U.S. Department of Justice said it filed charges against a Chinese national who took photos of an Air Force Base and some of the equipment on it. An official release said Qilin Wu, a 35-year-old, was charged with one count of “taking photographs of a vital military installation and military equipment without authorization.”
Wu allegedly drove a minivan near the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in early December. Wu told patrollers he was there to look at the B-2 Spirit planes, and the patrollers told Wu he could not take pictures, according to a Justice Department release.
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Officials said Wu returned to the base the next day and admitted to taking photos of the planes, the base fencing, the gates and military equipment.
The Justice Department alleges Wu entered the United States illegally in 2023 along the Arizona-Mexico border. He was arrested at the time, but released because of a lack of detention space. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Wu again on Dec. 3, 2025, the same day he admitted to taking photos of Whiteman Air Force Base.
