Tianrui Liang, a 21-year-old Chinese national, was arrested on April 7 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for photographing military aircraft near Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. This base is significant as it hosts U.S. Strategic Command and high-value reconnaissance aircraft, including the RC-135 surveillance plane and the E-4B 'Nightwatch', often referred to as the military's 'doomsday plane.' Liang allegedly planned to photograph additional aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Federal authorities stated that he violated a law prohibiting unauthorized photography of defense installations. Investigators were alerted when a witness reported seeing him with a camera near the base. Liang later admitted to taking pictures for his personal collection, despite knowing it was illegal to do so. He was a student at Glasgow University in Scotland and had traveled through Canada before entering the U.S.