Story highlights Reporter is second journalist arrested in two years for carrying protective gear in Thailand

Bulletproof body armor is classified as military equipment under a 1987 law

(CNN) A British journalist is facing up to five years in prison in Thailand after being found in possession of body armor and other protective gear.

Tony Cheng, a freelance correspondent for Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, told CNN he was charged Monday night with possessing "war weapons" after being stopped with German colleague Florian Witulski at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Cheng had a gas mask and body armor in his check-in luggage. Both items are classified as restricted military equipment under Thailand's 1987 Arms Control Act.

"A customs office informed us they found items which looked like military weapons," police Lt. Col. Somchart Maneerat told CNN. "(In searching Cheng's luggage) we found plates, which can be used in flak jackets. And flak jackets and their parts are classified as military weapons."

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