Story highlights A federal judge denied bail for the kidnapping suspect

Chinese graduate student is still missing and presumed dead

Urbana, Illinois, (CNN) A man charged with kidnapping a Chinese graduate student "explained the characteristics of his ideal victim" and pointed out those in the crowd who matched them at a vigil he attended for the missing woman, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday.

Suspect Brendt Christensen's comments were recorded by the FBI, which began surveillance of Christensen about a week after the June 9 abduction. It wasn't immediately clear how the recording was made.

Bryan Freres, an assistant US attorney, told a federal judge in Illinois that Christensen, 28, was also recorded explaining how he kidnapped 26-year-old Yingying Zhang. Christensen said in the recording that Zhang fought him, and that he took her back to his apartment and held her there against her will last month, according to Freres. It was not clear where that recording was made.

Freres said Christensen was also caught on an audio recording threatening someone who then provided incriminating evidence to authorities. The prosecutor said he didn't see a "combination of conditions" where Christensen was not a danger to the community. US Magistrate Judge Eric Long agreed and denied bail for Christensen, who was charged on Friday, a day after the June 29 vigil.

Long said the fact that Zhang is still missing "weighs against you." He pointed out that Christensen was seen on video driving the vehicle that Zhang climbed in.

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