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According to the Associated Press, the FBI has charged five Chinese foreign exchange students after they were found near a military base in Michigan under suspicious circumstances.

What’s the deal: Back in August 2023, five Chinese nationals (who at the time were attending the University of Michigan) were confronted by military personnel near Camp Grayling after being observed engaging in suspicious behavior and with cameras. When questioned, the men claimed to be ‘media’ and were taking pictures of a meteor shower. The men ultimately agreed to leave after being confronted. 

More on the base: Camp Grayling is the largest National Guard training facility in the US, spanning 147,000 acres. It’s a key site for military training, offering live-fire ranges, airfields, and urban training areas for US military personnel to prepare for combat and joint operations.

FBI digs: An FBI investigation revealed that the five men had booked a motel room near the base and took pictures of military vehicles, and possibly the base, despite their earlier claims of being in the area for a ‘meteor shower.’ One of the men, confronted at an airport in Detroit, had his phone searched, which uncovered photos of US military vehicles. However, the man was allowed to leave since taking pictures of a military vehicle is not a crime. As the investigation progressed, the FBI found that the men had used WeChat (a Chinese messaging platform) to discuss deleting photos from their devices in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence of their activities.

The men, who AP did not identify, are being charged with obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. According to the FBI, the five men are no longer students at the University of Michigan, and it’s unclear where they are.

Digging deeper: This comes as the FBI noted previous instances where foreign exchange students from China were involved in suspicious activities near US military sites. In one case, Chinese nationals studying in the US were caught taking unauthorized photos of sensitive military locations. The men were ultimately arrested for trespassing on the military base.