Chinese Nationals Charged with Covering Up Midnight Visit to Michigan Military Site
Five Chinese nationals have been indicted for providing false information and attempting to erase evidence related to a midnight visit to a secluded military installation in Michigan during summer training exercises in 2023. The individuals, who were students at the University of Michigan at the time, are accused of misleading investigators about their trip and conspiring to delete images from their phones.
The incident occurred when the five men were approached by a sergeant major from the Utah National Guard near Camp Grayling, a military site located about 200 miles north of Detroit. They claimed to be media representatives and departed the location. However, investigators discovered that they had reserved a room at a nearby motel a week prior and had taken photographs of military vehicles on the same night.
The men admitted to being in northern Michigan in August 2023 but maintained that their purpose was to observe a meteor shower. They referred to the National Guard member as “the soldier,” a camper, or “nice guy.” The FBI confirmed that all five individuals graduated from the University of Michigan last spring and were participants in a collaborative program between the university and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.
