REMOVES REFERENCES TO REPORTS, ADDS CONFIRMATION, INITIAL COURT APPEARANCE INFORMATION
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - A fugitive the US accuses of taking safe harbor in China's San Francisco consulate has been taken into custody, the Justice Department confirmed Friday.
Juan Tang is expected to make an initial court appearance at 2 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) after being taken into custody by the FBI, Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi confirmed in an email to Anadolu Agency.
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.