| Photo taken on July 1, 2017 shows a poster about Yingying Zhang in the place where she was kidnapped by the suspect in Champaign, Illinois, the United States. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) visiting Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, who was kidnapped on June 9, is feared dead. FBI arrested 28-year-old Brendt Christensen Friday on criminal complaint that charges him for kidnapping Zhang on June 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ping) | ||
CHICAGO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long on Monday ordered the man accused of kidnapping a visiting Chinese scholar to be held without bond until his next court hearing on July 5.
Brendt Christensen, 28, charged with kidnapping Yingying Zhang on June 9, did not speak during a hearing at a federal courthouse in Urbana city, the U.S. state of Illinois.
If convicted of the federal kidnapping charge, Christensen faces up to life in prison, according to Sharon Paul, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Christensen did not speak during the hearing that lasted nine minutes, other than to acknowledge that he understood his rights, according to local media ABC7.
Judge Long asked Christensen's attorney, Evan Bruno of the Urbana-based Bruno Law Firm, whether he was ready to take a stand on bail. When Bruno asked for a few days, Long set a detention hearing for 3 p.m. Wednesday during which the bond will be determined.
Zhang, 26, went missing on June 9 after she got into a black Saturn Astra car about five blocks from where she got off a bus as she was heading to an apartment complex to sign a lease. She arrived at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in late April.
FBI and local policemen arrested Christensen on Friday based on the fact that the suspect called someone about his kidnapping of Yingying Zhang.
"While Christensen was under law enforcement surveillance, agents overheard him explaining that he kidnapped Zhang," the FBI press release said.
Christensen was enrolled as a PhD candidate in experimental condensed matter physics by UIUC but it was not clear if he was still studying at the university when he was arrested.
