Suspect in kidnapping of Chinese scholar ordered held without bond

Associated Press
People line up outside the federal courthouse for first appearance of Brendt Christensen, the suspect in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang, a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois, on Monday in Urbana, Illinois. (Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette via AP)

URBANA, Illinois: A federal judge in Illinois has ordered a man accused of kidnapping a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China to be held without bond.
Monday’s brief hearing was the first court appearance for 28-year-old Brendt Christensen since he was charged on Friday in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities have said they believe the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body has not been found.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Christensen — clad in an orange jumpsuit — didn’t speak during the nine-minute hearing other than to acknowledge that he understood his rights.
Christensen is scheduled to attend a bond hearing before US Magistrate Judge Eric Long on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 14.
Christensen is accused of abducting Zhang in Urbana on June 9.
Hundreds of people were gathered outside the courthouse as the hearing was going on.
Judge Eric Long moved the first court hearing to a larger courtroom to accommodate his family and Zhang’s relatives.