A pair of Chinese nationals were found taking photographs at a military base in Florida after the two were told they did not have permission to be there.
Yuhao Wang and Jielun Zhang, both 24, were arrested Saturday after they drove a blue Hyundai up to a guard post at Sigsbee Annex in the Naval Air Station in Key West and did not follow directions to exit the premises, according to court documents.
Two other Chinese nationals have been arrested at the Key West base, and two others were arrested at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in the last year and a half, sparking the interest of counterintelligence investigators looking into suspected espionage. All four were taking photos before they were taken into custody.
On Saturday, a guard requested military identification from Wang and Zhang, which neither had, and told the men they were not authorized to be there. The guard then directed them to make a U-turn to exit the base, but they instead drove onto the property, an FBI affidavit said.
Navy Security Forces located the two after about 30 minutes and found they were carrying cellphones and a Nikon camera.
“U.S. Navy Security Forces obtained consent to look at the devices and observed photographs taken on the Sigsbee Annex property, including U.S. military structures on Fleming Key,” the affidavit said.
Both men, who are students at the University of Michigan, appeared in federal court Monday. Their detention hearings are scheduled for Friday.
Last month, another Chinese man, 27-year-old Lyuyou Liao, was arrested and charged with taking photos at the military base. Law enforcement said they found photos of the facility on his phone. Liao claimed he was trying to take a photo of the sunrise.
His arrest came a little more than a year after Zhao Qianli, 20, was arrested at the same base. Qianli said he was a lost tourist, but authorities found images of defense installations when they searched his phone and camera. Qianli pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced to one year in prison.
