OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:53 PM – Friday, March 7, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that his agency has arrested two active-duty Army soldiers, along with one former soldier, for purportedly selling off sensitive classified military information to China.
Advertisement
“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,” Patel announced in a Thursday X post.
“These individuals have been charged with stealing America’s defense intelligence capabilities and empowering adversaries like China in betrayal of our country. They will now face American justice,” he added.
On Thursday, the Justice Department revealed that Jian Zhao and Li Tian, the two active duty Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, along with former soldier Ruoyu Duan, were the individuals charged.
The individuals in question were accused of stealing secret hard drives, information on weapons systems, along with documents on missile defenses — in an effort to sell the assets off to China, according to the DOJ.
The indictment alleged that Duan and Tian began to steal information beginning on November 28th, 2021, and it continued through December 19th, 2024.
Tian was allegedly paid by Duan to steal information regarding the Bradley and Stryker U.S. Army fighting vehicles.
Meanwhile, Zhao is accused of stealing “top secret” hard drives sometime after July 2024, and selling them off to China for at least $10,000. Zhao also allegedly stole a government computer loaded with information on the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
“While bribery and corruption have thrived under China’s Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information,” Patel stated. “The FBI and our partners will continue to work to uncover attempts by those in China to steal sensitive U.S. military information and hold all accountable who play a role in betraying our national defense.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below
