A Chinese man has been charged in federal court for taking photographs near the perimeter of Whiteman Air Force Base.
The Western District of Missouri charged Qilin Wu, 35, with one count of taking photographs of a vital military institution and military equipment without authorization on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
According to the court documents, the Whiteman Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations investigated the report of a suspicious minivan with a Massachusetts license plate near the perimeter of the installation on Dec. 2, 2025.
Air Force patrolmen responded to the area and found Wu, who stated he was there to observe the B-2 Spirit aircraft. Patrolmen informed Wu that he was not permitted to take photos of the institution.
The following day, the AFOSI was notified that the same van was at the perimeter of the base. Upon contact, Wu admitted to taking videos of the B-2 Spirit, as well as numerous photos around the Whiteman AFB perimeter, a gate and military equipment.
Investigators located 18 images on Wu’s phone. He also admitted to photographing another Air Force Base and its aircraft.
Court documents indicate Wu illegally entered the United States on June 22, 2023, near Nogales, Arizona. He was arrested for illegally entering the country, but released due to a lack of detention space and scheduled for immigration removal proceedings on Feb. 9, 2027.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rearrested Wu on Dec. 3, 2025.
