US arrests three soldiers including two on active duty for allegedly selling military information to China
Zhao was accused of gathering classified hard drives and a computer taken from the US government to sell to unspecified individuals in China, while Tian and Duan were charged with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a total of three people on charges of selling classified information to individuals based in China. According to the FBI, while two of those arrested are active-duty soldiers, the third is a former soldier.
Selling military secrets to China
Jian Zhao and Li Tian, active-duty US Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, along with Ruoyu Duan, a former soldier, were arrested on Thursday.
CREDIT: AP
Zhao was accused of gathering classified hard drives and a computer taken from the US government to sell to unspecified individuals in China, while Tian and Duan were charged with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.
$15,000 for military secrets
According to the Justice Department, the thefts began in July 2024 and resulted in Zhao receiving at least $15,000 in payment for the contraband.
According to the indictment, Zhao, with other accomplices, "did knowingly and unlawfully conspire... to obtain and transmit documents, writings, photographs, instruments, appliances, and notes relating to the national defence of the United States to individuals not entitled to receive it".
CREDIT: REUTERS
The FBI alleged Tian would "gather sensitive military information related to the United States Army's operational capabilities," specifically regarding US military weapon systems, and sold it to Duan for an unspecified sum between November 2021 and December 2024.
BREAKING: I can now report that today the FBI, along with our interagency partners led by @AGPamBondi, arrested two active duty U.S. Army soldiers and one former U.S. Army soldier for theft of government property and a bribery scheme.
¡ª FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 7, 2025
These individuals have been charged with¡
What FBI Director said
"These individuals have been charged with stealing America¡¯s defence intelligence capabilities and empowering adversaries like China in betrayal of our country. They will now face American justice," newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel said on X.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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