FBI arrests alleged Chinese agent at LAX after she allegedly surveilled son of Taiwanese president
The complaint says she sent photos, videos and license plate numbers to Chinese officials after a Seattle surveillance trip.
- On Sunday, federal law enforcement arrested Irvine, California, realtor Wanying "Heather" Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport before she boarded a flight to Shanghai, China, charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China.
- According to an Oct. 3, 2026, criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt, the PRC sought leverage over Taiwan's president during potential conflict by obtaining photographs and location data of close relatives, including the president's son.
- Text messages obtained via an iCloud warrant show Zhang texting a handler, "Saw him. It's that young one," and "I am videorecording," while neighbor security cameras allegedly captured the pair appearing to film Ting-Yu Lai's family in September 2025.
- Ting-Yu, a Philips employee in his 30s, attended college in America and has a U.S.-born child. This arrest follows federal prosecutions of Chinese agents, including Shujun Wang, who infiltrated pro-democracy activists in New York for 17 years.
- Zhang's husband, Edric Ding, told CBS News on Sunday he did not know details about the allegations. The investigation remains ongoing as federal authorities continue targeting suspected foreign intelligence operations within the United States.
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233 Articles
My Mother Lode
FBI arrests a woman accused of spying on Taiwan leader’s family for China
The FBI has arrested a woman at Los Angeles International Airport as she was leaving the country and accused her of spying on the Taiwan president’s family for China. The FBI and U.S. prosecutors say Wanying Zhang, also know as Heather, surveilled the Taiwanese president’s son and his family. She was arrested on charges for working for China as an unregistered agent and is due to appear in court Monday. Taiwan confirmed President Lai Ching-te’s …
A woman accused of spying on behalf of China the family of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te residing in the United States must be brought before an American judge on Monday, the day after her arrest in Los Angeles.
The FBI has arrested a woman at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of spying for China on the family of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te while she was in the United States. According to the FBI, Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, has been monitoring the Taiwanese president's son and his family on behalf of the Chinese government. Zhang, 34, was arrested on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of China, US federal prosecutor B…
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