Federal prosecutors charged five University of Michigan graduates from China with several crimes on Tuesday night, after they were allegedly discovered at a military facility in northern Michigan last year.
The graduates were caught with cameras at the facility during a joint training exercise between U.S. national guardsmen and members of the Taiwanese military in August of 2023, according to the Detroit News.
The indictment comes amid increased scrutiny regarding national security threats and a series of incidents regarding Chinese nationals trespassing on U.S. military grounds.
The five are not in custody, but they have been charged with conspiracy, lying to federal investigators, and destroying records during a federal investigation. They have been identified as Zhekai Xu, Renxiang Guan, Haoming Zhu, Jingzhe Tao, and Yi Liang.
“The defendants are not in custody. Should they come into contact with U.S. authorities, they will be arrested and face these charges,” Gina Balaya, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit, said Wednesday, per 8 News Now.
