A New York City police officer accused of spying for China was ordered detained Wednesday while he awaits trial and could face denaturalization and removal from the United States after a possible prison sentence, a federal judge said. Federal Judge Eric Komitee ordered the detention of Queens cop Baimadajie Angwang after prosecutors appealed a magistrate judge's decision to grant him $1 million bond and confine him to house arrest. Prosecutors argued that Angwang could slip away from authorities -- possibly by seeking asylum in the Chinese consulate in Manhattan -- thereby evading justice. The court noted that Angwang, an ethnic Tibetan, could face denaturalization proceedings and deportation to China after serving a possible prison sentence. "Defendant averred in his asylum application that he was 'afraid to return to China,' but has voluntarily traveled there numerous times since," Komitee wrote.

Source: Fox News October 07, 2020 20:03 UTC