The FBI has taken a suspected Chinese agent into custody at Los Angeles International Airport. The arrest occurred as the suspect allegedly surveilled the son of Taiwan’s President during a U.S. visit. Wanying “Heather” Zhang, a realtor based in Irvine, California, was detained by federal authorities on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. She was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Shanghai.
Zhang’s husband, Edric Ding, also a realtor, stated that he was unaware of the situation and withheld further comments. It remains unclear if Zhang has legal representation at this time.
A criminal complaint filed in a Los Angeles federal court by an FBI counterintelligence officer accuses Zhang, along with an accomplice, of traveling to Seattle in September 2025. They allegedly took photographs of the residence belonging to the family of a high-ranking Taiwanese official. The targeted individual was identified as Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwan’s President, Ching-Te Lai.
Ting-Yu Lai, an engineer in his 30s, studied in the U.S. and lives there with his wife, Hsiao Chen, and their child. He currently works for the Dutch electronics company Philips. According to the FBI complaint, the Chinese government may seek to gain leverage over Taiwan by using information about the relatives of Taiwanese government officials.
Zhang and an unidentified accomplice rented a vehicle and reportedly drove to Lai’s home to conduct surveillance. A neighbor’s security camera captured them allegedly filming Lai and his family. CBS News verified the address matched Ting-Yu’s residence near Seattle.
Zhang is accused of communicating with a Chinese government official via texts on WeChat about her surveillance activities. These communications were uncovered through a search warrant on Zhang’s iCloud account, as indicated in the FBI affidavit.
Zhang reportedly established contact with at least two individuals linked to the Chinese government. She allegedly met with a Chinese official during a trip to China in June 2025, where she received her surveillance assignment. Following that meeting, Zhang purportedly messaged the official about completing the mission.
Aside from her real estate career, Zhang is accused of text communications detailing her travels and assignments. Zhang and the accomplice’s surveillance efforts involved filming and photographing the family of Taiwan’s President as part of a broader international tension involving Taiwan.
Chinese government agents have a history of spying on dissidents and activists in the U.S. Previous incidents include the conviction of Shujun Wang for infiltrating a Chinese pro-democracy group and the arrest of individuals running an unofficial Chinese police station in Manhattan.
The Justice Department has cautioned against China’s Operation Fox Hunt, targeting Chinese nationals abroad. High-profile cases such as these underscore the ongoing geopolitical tensions involving China, Taiwan, and the U.S.