A California woman accused of spying for China on the family of Taiwan’s president in the Seattle area has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as she allegedly tried to leave for Shanghai.
Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, of Irvine, was detained by FBI agents on Sunday, October 4, before she could board her flight. She is charged in a federal criminal complaint with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.
Prosecutors allege that Zhang travelled to Seattle in September 2025 with an associate and monitored the son of Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te. The pair allegedly photographed and recorded the family, their home and vehicles, then passed information to people they understood to be Chinese officials.
Alleged surveillance of Taiwan president’s family
The complaint says Zhang and her associate rented a vehicle and positioned themselves near the family’s Seattle-area residence. Investigators allege that security-camera footage showed them raising their phones to film when members of the family returned home.
Zhang is also accused of sending photographs, video footage and vehicle registration details to her alleged contacts. The information was reportedly exchanged through messaging services and other means, with investigators alleging that she took steps intended to avoid detection.
The criminal complaint does not name the alleged target, describing him only as a close relative of a senior Taiwanese government official. However, the FBI has said the surveillance involved Taiwan’s president’s son and his family.
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said Zhang had not notified the US Attorney General that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government, which prosecutors allege is a federal offence.
“We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China,” Essayli said in a statement announcing the arrest.
FBI director Kash Patel said the bureau was pursuing threats to US national security after the arrest. He alleged that Zhang had surveilled the family for the Chinese government and was attempting to return to China when she was detained.
Zhang was due to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, October 5. The allegations have not been tested at trial, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
