The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese agent at Los Angeles International Airport after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president's U.S.-based son, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
uncertain
sources → arrest → News
Wanying "Heather" Zhang, an Irvine, California, realtor, was cuffed by federal law enforcement on Sunday before she boarded a flight to Shanghai, China, from LAX, on a charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
asserted
she → cuff → government
Zhang's husband Edric Ding, a realtor at the same firm, told CBS News when reached by phone Sunday: "I don't know anything yet," and declined to comment further.
asserted
I → tell → anything
It was not immediately clear if Zhang has an attorney.
asserted
Zhang → have → attorney
A criminal complaint, filed in federal court by a member of the FBI's counterintelligence squad in L.A., accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025 and taking pictures at the suburban home of a top Taiwanese official's family.
asserted
complaint → file → family
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the target was Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai.
asserted
target → tell → Lai
Ting-Yu, an engineer in his 30s, attended college in America and has a young U.S.-born son with his wife, Hsiao Chen, according to Taiwanese media reports.
uncertain
Yu → attend → reports
He now works for the Dutch multinational electronics firm Philips.
asserted
He → work → firm
"If the PRC [People's Republic of China] wish to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict, the location and pictures of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC," wrote FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt in the Oct. 3, 2026, criminal complaint.
uncertain
Holt → wish → complaint
It asserts its independence, while the Chinese government claims it is part of China.
uncertain
it → assert → China
The island is in a key position astride major shipping lanes, and is where many of the world's most advanced semiconductor chips are manufactured.
asserted
many → manufacture → chips
CBS News reached out to the Taiwanese consulate for comment.
asserted
News → reach → comment
The complaint said Zhang, 34, and a man named only as "Individual 1" flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025, rented a black Nissan Rogue and drove to their target's home.
asserted
Zhang → say → home
Images from a neighbor's security camera included in the complaint allegedly show the two "appearing to film" Ting-Yu, his wife and their child as they arrived home that evening.
uncertain
they → include → Yu
CBS News matched the images to an address near Seattle owned by Ting-Yu.
asserted
News → match → Yu
Zhang allegedly texted her Chinese government handler: "Saw him.
uncertain
Zhang → texte → him
It's that young one," and "I am videorecording," followed by two license plate numbers, according to the complaint.
uncertain
I → follow → complaint
The FBI agent wrote that the texts from the Chinese messaging app WeChat were obtained from a search warrant on Zhang's iCloud account.
asserted
texts → write → account
"Zhang was in contact with at least two people whom she appeared to acknowledge worked for the PRC government," the agent wrote.
asserted
agent → appear → government
The complaint claims Zhang was introduced in June 2025 to one of the Chinese government officials by a classmate from her alma mater, Beijing's University of International Relations, which Holt said has close ties to the Ministry of State Security.
uncertain
Holt → claim → Security
Holt's affidavit claims Zhang booked a private room in Changsha, China, during a June 2025 trip, where she allegedly met the government official and received her surveillance mission.
uncertain
she → claim → mission
She later texted the official, "I can take care of this thing," according to the complaint.
uncertain
I → texte → complaint
On Aug. 26, 2025, Zhang wrote: "I will be busy with work in L.A. this week.
asserted
I → write → L.A.
I will probably go to Seattle next week," and the official replied: "Ok.
asserted
official → go → Seattle
Thank you for your hard work," the complaint said.
asserted
complaint → thank → work
Her Zillow profile says she has 130 sales and listings around Los Angeles and neighboring counties.
asserted
she → say → Angeles
Ting-Yu received his bachelor's in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2012; a master's in Bioengineering Innovation and Design from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the following year; then a PhD from the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, according to a profile from one of his academic publications.
uncertain
Yu → receive → publications
Taiwan TV news station SETN reported that he met his Taiwanese wife while studying for his doctorate.
asserted
he → report → doctorate
They married in 2018 and had a child in the U.S. in 2020, according to CNA, Taiwan's national news agency.
uncertain
They → marry → CNA
Chinese government agents have previously been
on and harassing Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the U.S.Federal prosecutors said convicted in 2024 of acting as a foreign agent.
asserted
prosecutors → on → agent
He wasTwo people were arrested in April 2023 for their involvement in an unofficial Chinese police station in Manhattan set up to monitor Chinese dissidents.
asserted
people → wasTwo → dissidents
The Justice Department has warned of a plan by the Chinese security services called Operation Fox Hunt aimed at repatriating wanted Chinese nationals around the world, which targets enemies of the regime.
asserted
which → warn → regime
New York-based Quanzhong An, who prosecutors say is a leader of the U.S. wing of Operation Fox Hunt, was sentenced in March 2025 after harassing a Chinese dissident in an attempt to bring them back to China.
asserted
prosecutors → base → China
In California, former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang was charged with acting as a Chinese agent in May.
uncertain
Wang → charge → May
She admitted to being paid to spread pro-Chinese government propaganda in the U.S., including an essay on her blog denying "forced labor" in China.
asserted
She → admit → China
The Aporia
