China says they informed U.S. consulate on case of previously detained FedEx pilot

Reuters

BEIJING, Sept 20 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said it has informed the U.S. consulate about the case of a FedEx Corp pilot on Friday.

Chinese authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou detained and later released one of its pilots on bail, according to FedEx.

Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comment at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

The pilot, identified as former U.S. Air Force pilot Todd Hohn, was detained a week ago at the Guangzhou airport, a FedEx regional hub, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing a lawyer for the pilot's family.

That report said that when Hohn was detained, his checked bag contained nonmetallic pellets used in low-power replica air guns. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Huizhong Wu Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)