Overview
- The Justice Department unsealed a federal complaint this week charging 35-year-old Qilin Wu in the Western District of Missouri with unlawfully photographing a vital military installation and equipment, an offense that can carry up to one year in prison if convicted.
- Patrols encountered Wu near Whiteman Air Force Base on Dec. 2 in a minivan with Massachusetts plates and warned him against recording; the next day agents found him again and he admitted to filming B‑2 aircraft and photographing perimeter fencing, a gate, and equipment.
- Investigators say Wu’s phone contained 18 images and videos from Whiteman, and he acknowledged photographing another U.S. Air Force base and its aircraft.
- Court documents state Wu illegally entered the U.S. near Nogales, Arizona, on June 22, 2023, was initially released due to limited detention space, and was re-arrested by ICE on Dec. 3, 2025.
- The investigation involves AFOSI, the FBI, Air Force Security Forces, and ICE, and officials have not said whether the material was shared or tied to a broader intelligence effort.