Guam arrests 7 Chinese nationals who tried to illegally enter US military site during missile test

Authorities said that all the suspects arrived on the same boat from Saipan and probe was ongoing

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The US conducted a missile interception test in Guam on December 10. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:47pm, 21 Dec 2024

Seven Chinese citizens were arrested on charges of illegally entering Guam around the time the US Missile Defence Agency conducted a key missile interception test using a new radar, the island’s Customs and Quarantine Agency has said.

The agency said at least four of the people arrested on December 10-11 were found “in the vicinity of a military installation”. Guam has many such installations, including Andersen Air Force Base, where the December 10 missile test was conducted.

“Conducting espionage against US military facilities, especially those with missile launch capabilities, could provide the PRC with potentially valuable intelligence,” the Institute for the Study of War said in a report on Friday, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

Guamanian authorities said that all of the Chinese nationals arrived on the same boat from Saipan, and that the investigation was ongoing.

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China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.