The woman was identified by officials as Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather.
Zhang was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before she was scheduled to depart for China, Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a post on X.
“According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials,” Essayli said.
We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China. Wanying Zhang, aka “Heather,” 34, of Irvine, was arrested today by @FBILosAngeles on a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China. According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials. She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense. She will appear in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow for her initial appearance. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 4, 2026
“She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense,” he added.
CHINA’S SPY GAME JUST HIT A WALL. The FBI arrested an alleged PRC agent at LAX before she could board a flight to Shanghai. According to the federal complaint, she surveilled the Taiwanese President’s son and his family — filming their home, vehicles, and reporting information back to PRC handlers. You don’t get to conduct foreign intelligence operations on American soil and simply hop on a plane home.
— FBI Rapid Response (@FBI_Response) October 5, 2026
In a separate post on X, the FBI said Zhang had been surveilling the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and his family.
“According to the federal complaint, she surveilled the Taiwanese President’s son and his family — filming their home, vehicles, and reporting information back to PRC handlers,” the FBI said.
According to the federal complaint, Zhang and an individual identified as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1, 2025, and traveled to the residence of the Taiwanese official’s relative.
FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt said in the complaint that Zhang and the individual conducted surveillance of the residence and gathered information about the family, including photographs, videos and vehicle license plates.
The allegations come amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Lai has faced strong opposition from Beijing over his advocacy of Taiwan’s sovereignty and its separate political identity.
The charges against Zhang are allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.