U.S arrests Five Chinese nationals charged with deceiving FBI, destroying evidence


(MENAFN) Five Chinese nationals have been charged with lying to the FBI and destroying evidence after being caught near the largest National Guard training base in the U.S.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court on Tuesday, the five individuals were discovered near Camp Grayling in northern Michigan in August 2023. They initially claimed to be journalists before leaving the area.

“The defendants are not in custody. Should they come into contact with U.S. authorities, they will be arrested and face these charges,” said Gina Balaya, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit, on Wednesday.

The men were reportedly part of a joint program between the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, having graduated earlier this year. Their identities have not been released by the Associated Press.

According to the FBI affidavit, a sergeant major with the Utah National Guard confronted the group after midnight at a lake near the military base. One of the individuals allegedly claimed, “We are media,” before the group gathered their belongings and agreed to leave the area. The FBI later discovered that the group had booked a room at a nearby motel a week prior to the encounter.

Four months after the incident, one of the men was interviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Detroit airport, before traveling to South Korea and China. He claimed the group had taken the trip, about 200 miles (320km) north of Ann Arbor, “to see shooting stars,” according to the affidavit.

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