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Three Chinese nationals imprisoned for clicking photos at Florida naval base

Three Chinese nationals imprisoned for clicking photos at Florida naval base

Florida naval base

Three Chinese nationals were imprisoned on Thursday for entering a restricted area at a naval base in Key West, Florida, to take photos.

Chinese national Liao Lyuyou, 27, Jielun Zhang, 25,and Yuhao Wang, 24, were sentenced to 12 months and nine months in prison, respectively.

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All of thempleadedguilty to illegally entering the restricted area within Naval Air Station Key West in December and taking photographs and video, according to the US Attorney's office of the Southern District of Florida.

Navy security officers obtained consent to look at the cell phones and the camera in their possession and observed photos of the Sigsbee Annex property, including US military structures on Fleming Key.

The incidents happened shortlyafter two Chinese Embassy officialswere "secretly expelled" by the US last year after they entered a "sensitive" military base near Norfolk, Virginia, according to The New York Times.

The Timessaid half a dozen people with knowledge of the expulsions said US officials believe "at least one of the Chinese officials, who were with their wives, was an intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover."