Chinese Illegal Immigrant Charged With Photographing Military Base

The Department of Justice seal during a news conference at the department’s office in Washington on May 16, 2023. Jose Luis Magana, File/AP PhotoChinese national Qilin Wu was arrested and charged on Jan. 7 with illegally photographing a “vital military installation” in Johnson County, Missouri. Federal Magistrate Judge Lajuana Counts on Jan. 12 heard arguments about keeping Wu in detention and granted the government’s request for pretrial detention over concerns that Wu is a flight risk.According to court documents, Wu entered the country illegally on or about June 22, 2023, near Nogales, Arizona, and was released because Border Patrol lacked detention space to hold him. He was set to have an immigration hearing on Jan. 6. Wu has been in custody since Dec. 3, 2025.Whiteman Air Force BaseU.S. attorney R. Matthew Price announced the charges on Jan. 7, alleging that Wu took photographs of “a vital military installation and military equipment without authorization.”