Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Exclusive: Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker

Exclusive: Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker

A former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia and facing likely extradition to the United States on undisclosed charges listed the same Beijing address as a Chinese businessman jailed in the United States for conspiring to hack U.S. defence contractors' computers, documents show.

The Beijing address is listed in Australian company filings for the pilot and a U.S. blacklisting for the Chinese businessman, however, it was unclear whether they used the Beijing address at the same time.

Australian Federal Police arrested Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, a former U.S. citizen, in the rural town of Orange in New South Wales state last month, acting on a U.S. request for his arrest.

Details of the U.S. arrest warrant and the charges he faces are sealed, his lawyer said. Consequently Reuters was unable to determine the specifics of Duggan's case.

"He denies having breached any U.S. law, any Australian law, any international law," Duggan's lawyer Dennis Miralis of Nyman, Gibson and Miralis said outside a Sydney court on Friday.

Miralis said Duggan was being moved to a maximum security prison in the regional town of Goulburn and that he did not seek bail at the directions hearing in the Sydney local court. The matter was adjourned until November 28.

A former military pilot told Reuters that Duggan, who became an aviation consultant after his military service, moved from Australia to Beijing in 2013/2014 to work with a Chinese businessman called Stephen.

Shown a photograph by a Reuters reporter, the former military pilot identified Stephen Su, the Chinese businessman convicted on hacking charges in the United States, but did not supply details about the business the two were involved in.

Duggan's LinkedIn profile also said he was in China during this time.

Another aviation source said Duggan went to Beijing to work with Stephen Su, also known as Su Bin in China.

Su Bin was arrested in Canada in July 2014 and jailed in the United States two years later, in a high-profile hacking case involving the theft of U.S. military aircraft designs by the Chinese military in which he pleaded guilty, court records show.

SAME BEIJING ADDRESS LISTED


A Reuters review of company filings for Duggan's former business Top Gun Tasmania to the Australian corporate regulator showed Duggan had certified documents that notified of his change of address and his sale of the company in January and April 2014, stating his residential address from December 2013 was an apartment in Beijing's Chaoyang district.

The same address appeared on the U.S. Entity List in August 2014 as belonging to Su Bin and his aviation technology company Nuodian Technology, also known as Lode Tech in English language marketing material.

The U.S. Entity List, which refers to both company names, is a trade blacklist of people and companies deemed to pose a risk to U.S. national security.

The address, Building 1-1, No. 67 Caiman Street, Chaoyang Road, remains on the U.S. blacklist for involvement in the unauthorised exploitation of U.S. Department of Defense contractor computer systems to illicitly obtain controlled technology related to military projects.

When Reuters visited the Beijing address this week the reporter was told it was a residential building and denied entry.

The U.S. blacklist also cites a second address for Nuodian Technology and Su Bin, in an office complex next to the residential building. Reuters was told by a building manager someone from Nuodian Technology had opened an office there, but added the company moved out seven to eight years ago. This is around the time of Su Bin's arrest.

Chinese company records show Nuodian Technology first registered a Beijing office in 2003.

Su Bin, 51, was sentenced to a 46-month prison term in 2016 by a Los Angeles court after being charged with taking part in a years-long scheme by Chinese military officers to obtain sensitive military information.

Su Bin pleaded guilty to conspiring with two Chinese air force officers who hacked into the computer systems of Boeing and other companies to obtain data about military projects, violating the arms export control act.

EXTRADITION UP TO U.S.


Duggan arrived in Australia from China weeks before his arrest and had interacted with Australian intelligence agencies, his lawyer said. He did not name the agencies, provide details on what was under investigation or Duggan's possible role in it.

Miralis said he would lodge a complaint with Australia's inspector-general of intelligence, an oversight body, about matters which touch on Australia's national security. The inspector-general's office declined to comment.

Miralis said the United States should not make an extradition request until this complaint was resolved.

Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, an extradition request must be made within 60 days of arrest.

"It's important to understand the legal system in Australia has not yet seized jurisdiction of the matter, we are more in the area of international relations, and it is a decision for the United States State Department to determine whether or not it wishes to send an extradition request to Australia," said Miralis.

"This has nothing to do with law, this has everything to do with international politics and international relations."

The United States Department of Justice has declined to comment about Duggan's case.

Australia's Attorney General's Department said it could not give details of any possible extradition request and China's foreign ministry said it was "not aware of this situation", in response to Reuters written questions.

Robert Anello, the lawyer who represented Su Bin in the 2014 hacking case, declined to comment and Su Bin could not be reached for comment.

Duggan's arrest came the same week Britain warned dozens of former military pilots to stop working in China or face prosecution by the British government on national security grounds under new laws to stop former RAF pilots training the Chinese military, because it risked the transfer of secrets and information about British air force capabilities.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
×