TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Five Chinese students at the University of Michigan have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly spying on US military forces at Camp Grayling in August 2023, during exercises that included Taiwanese forces.
An affidavit was made public on Oct. 1 charging five Chinese citizens with conspiracy, tampering with evidence, and making false statements to federal officers, reported Detroit’s WDIV 4. Despite more than a year of investigation after the crimes took place in fall 2023, the five students were all permitted to graduate and return to China before the indictments were filed.
The five students were discovered at a campground near Bear Lake in northern Michigan during the US National Guard’s annual Northern Strike exercises. Around 7,000 military personnel, including some from Taiwan, were participating in live-fire exercises in the area at the time, reported M Live.
To reach the area, which is near Camp Grayling, the group allegedly ignored caution tape and multiple warning signs. The group was discovered less than five meters from a military vehicle taking photographs of an encampment and equipment by a sergeant major.
The group told authorities they were “media” and were taking photos of a meteor shower. They also claimed they had no idea that military exercises were taking place in the vicinity.
Federal investigators determined their statements to be untrue after they discovered photographs of military vehicles and classified communications equipment on one student’s external hard drive that was seized for evidence. Suspicious message exchanges on WeChat were also discovered in a group chat archived on one of the suspect’s phones.
The five suspects were reportedly studying in Ann Arbor, and one of them booked a motel near the Bear Lake area one week before their interaction with the US military. When questioned folllowing the incident, they lied to authorities by saying they booked the room at the last minute because they were “too tired to drive back to Ann Arbor.”
All five were reportedly students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and part of a joint two-year undergraduate exchange program with the University of Michigan.
Because the suspects were all permitted to leave the US, it is unlikely that they will ever be prosecuted for the charges. The news follows congressional testimony by a former US Ambassador that soldiers from Taiwan are still actively training with the US military at Camp Grayling.
