Feds: Man from China arrested in Hawaii for trying to buy night-vision goggles to export home

A man who lives in China has been arrested in Hawaii after federal authorities say he tried to buy six pairs of military-grade night vision goggles and export them back home.

According to a criminal complaint, Song Il Kim communicated with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent in Utah to buy the goggles for a total of $22,000. Kim was arrested last week after meeting with the agent in Honolulu.

The specific devices Kim allegedly wanted are made for the U.S. military and its allies. It's illegal to export them without State Department authorization.

It's unclear what Kim intended to do with the goggles.

Court records say Kim was born in North Korea, holds a Cambodian passport and lives in China. During a hearing in Honolulu on Monday, he asked to contact the Chinese and Cambodian embassies for help hiring a lawyer.