Qilin Wu was investigated after members of the 509th Security Forces Squadron responded to a report of a suspicious minivan near the Missouri base on December 2, 2025. Wu, who was driving a vehicle with Massachusetts license plates, told security personnel he had come to observe the B-2 Spirit bomber.
“For our Special Agents, this isn’t about a single case,” said Col. David Bethel, commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Region 8. “It’s about recognizing that the operating environment has changed.”
AFOSI said the case reflected growing attention to activity around sensitive U.S. military installations that may be less clear-cut than security threats encountered overseas. Investigators focused not only on Wu’s photography, but also on his decision to return after being warned and on images involving the base perimeter and infrastructure.
“What made this different was the pattern of behavior,” said a senior AFOSI official involved in the investigation. The Air Force said Wu’s return after the warning and his focus on the installation’s infrastructure heightened investigators’ concerns.
Wu later admitted to photographing aircraft and installations at other U.S. military bases, including locations in Florida and Virginia. The investigation resulted in a guilty plea and sentencing, after which the court remanded him to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Wu was subsequently processed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and will be deported to China, according to the Air Force. “When someone gathers information around a sensitive military installation, AFOSI has the tools to hold them accountable,” Bethel said.
The case involved Section 795 of Title 18 and Executive Order 10104, signed by President Harry Truman in 1950. Together, they prohibit unauthorized photographs, sketches, maps and other visual representations of designated military installations and protected military equipment where information requires protection from general dissemination.
AFOSI said the legal framework provides federal authorities with a mechanism to address unauthorized photography of protected military property. In Wu’s case, investigators cited his repeated conduct, his return after being warned and the subjects captured in his photographs.
The Air Force said the investigation also showed the role of coordination between installation security forces and federal investigators when suspicious activity is reported near sensitive military facilities. AFOSI said it will continue to identify and investigate suspected unauthorized photography while assessing each incident according to its individual circumstances.
“Det. 811’s work delivered strategic deterrence,” Bethel said. “This case reflects AFOSI’s professionalism, integration and operational discipline required to defend our installations in an increasingly complex threat environment.”
