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The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese cause astatine Los Angeles International Airport aft she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president's U.S.-based son, instrumentality enforcement sources told CBS News.
Wanying "Heather" Zhang, an Irvine, California, realtor, was cuffed by national instrumentality enforcement connected Sunday earlier she boarded a formation to Shanghai, China, from LAX, connected a complaint of acting arsenic an unregistered cause of a overseas government.
Zhang's hubby Edric Ding, a realtor astatine the aforesaid firm, told CBS News erstwhile reached by telephone Sunday: "I don't cognize thing yet," and declined to remark further.
It was not instantly wide if Zhang has an attorney.
A transgression complaint, filed successful national tribunal by a subordinate of the FBI's counterintelligence squad successful L.A., accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle, Washington, successful September 2025 and taking pictures astatine the suburban location of a apical Taiwanese official's family.
Wanying "Heather" Zhang.
FBI
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the people was Ting-Yu Lai, the lad of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai.
Ting-Yu, an technologist successful his 30s, attended assemblage successful America and has a young U.S.-born lad with his wife, Hsiao Chen, according to Taiwanese media reports. He present works for the Dutch multinational electronics steadfast Philips.
"If the PRC [People's Republic of China] privation to get leverage implicit the President of Taiwan during immoderate imaginable conflict, the determination and pictures of the adjacent relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese authorities official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could beryllium utile to the PRC," wrote FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt successful the Oct. 3, 2026, transgression complaint.
Taiwan has been the absorption of precocious geopolitical tensions for decades. It asserts its independence, portion the Chinese authorities claims it is portion of China. The land is successful a cardinal presumption astride large shipping lanes, and is wherever galore of the world's astir precocious semiconductor chips are manufactured.
CBS News reached retired to the Taiwanese consulate for comment.
The ailment said Zhang, 34, and a antheral named lone arsenic "Individual 1" flew from Las Vegas to Seattle connected Sept. 1, 2025, rented a achromatic Nissan Rogue and drove to their target's home.
Images from a neighbor's information camera included successful the ailment allegedly amusement the 2 "appearing to film" Ting-Yu, his woman and their kid arsenic they arrived location that evening.
CBS News matched the images to an code adjacent Seattle owned by Ting-Yu.
Zhang allegedly texted her Chinese authorities handler: "Saw him. Young male. It's that young one," and "I americium videorecording," followed by 2 licence sheet numbers, according to the complaint.
The FBI cause wrote that the texts from the Chinese messaging app WeChat were obtained from a hunt warrant connected Zhang's iCloud account.
"Zhang was successful interaction with astatine slightest 2 radical whom she appeared to admit worked for the PRC government," the cause wrote.
The ailment claims Zhang was introduced successful June 2025 to 1 of the Chinese authorities officials by a classmate from her alma mater, Beijing's University of International Relations, which Holt said has adjacent ties to the Ministry of State Security.
Holt's affidavit claims Zhang booked a backstage country successful Changsha, China, during a June 2025 trip, wherever she allegedly met the authorities authoritative and received her surveillance mission.
She aboriginal texted the official, "I tin instrumentality attraction of this thing," according to the complaint.
On Aug. 26, 2025, Zhang wrote: "I volition beryllium engaged with enactment successful L.A. this week. I volition astir apt spell to Seattle adjacent week," and the authoritative replied: "Ok. Thank you for your hard work," the ailment said.
Zhang is simply a licensed California realtor with JC Pacific Capital Inc. Her Zillow illustration says she has 130 income and listings astir Los Angeles and neighboring counties.
Ting-Yu received his bachelor's successful electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University successful Cleveland, Ohio, successful 2012; a master's successful Bioengineering Innovation and Design from Johns Hopkins University successful Baltimore, the pursuing year; past a PhD from the Department of Bioengineering astatine the University of Washington, according to a illustration from 1 of his world publications.
Taiwan TV quality presumption SETN reported that helium met his Taiwanese woman portion studying for his doctorate. They joined successful 2018 and had a kid successful the U.S. successful 2020, according to CNA, Taiwan's nationalist quality agency.
Chinese authorities agents person antecedently been caught spying connected and harassing Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists successful the U.S.
Federal prosecutors said Shujun Wang, 75, infiltrated and informed connected a Chinese pro-democracy radical successful Queens, New York, for the Chinese Ministry of State Security for 17 years. He was convicted successful 2024 of acting arsenic a overseas agent.
Two radical were arrested successful April 2023 for their engagement successful an unofficial Chinese constabulary presumption successful Manhattan acceptable up to show Chinese dissidents.
The Justice Department has warned of a program by the Chinese information services called Operation Fox Hunt aimed astatine repatriating wanted Chinese nationals astir the world, which targets enemies of the regime.
New York-based Quanzhong An, who prosecutors accidental is simply a person of the U.S. helping of Operation Fox Hunt, was sentenced successful March 2025 aft harassing a Chinese dissident successful an effort to bring them backmost to China.
In California, erstwhile Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang was charged with acting arsenic a Chinese cause successful May. She admitted to being paid to dispersed pro-Chinese authorities propaganda successful the U.S., including an effort connected her blog denying "forced labor" successful China.
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