US: Chinese fugitive arrested after hiding in consulate

WASHINGTON

A fugitive the US accuses of taking safe harbor in China's San Francisco consulate has been taken into custody, multiple reports said Friday.

Juan Tang is expected to appear in court later Friday, the reports said citing an anonymous Justice Department official.

The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.

The department officially accused China's San Francisco consulate of harboring Juan Tang on Thursday, saying the individual is a covert member of Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Tang remained holed up in the diplomatic building after the FBI interviewed her on June 20 on suspicion of visa fraud, the department said at the time.

Tang allegedly responded "no" to a question on her visa application about whether she had ever served in the military, but she is accused of being a uniformed officer of the PLA Air Force. According to a criminal complaint, the FBI found a photograph of her in military uniform and references to her employment at the Air Force Military Medical University.

The FBI also found an additional photograph of her in military uniform on electronic media when it executed a search warrant.