FBI arrests Chinese-American woman accused of spying on Taiwanese president’s son

The FBI has arrested a California woman accused of acting as an unregistered Chinese agent and surveilling the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te.

“Heather” Zhang Wanying, 34, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on October 4 while allegedly attempting to leave the United States for China, ZeroHedge reported.

US officials identified the alleged target as Lai Ting-Yu, who works for a private company in the United States.

The FBI alleged that Zhang “surveilled the Taiwanese President’s son and his family – filming their home, vehicles, and reporting information back to PRC handlers.”

Prosecutors said Zhang, a naturalised US citizen, travelled to Seattle in 2025 on the direct orders of Chinese state officials and used methods designed to avoid detection.

FBI Director Kash Patel warned America’s adversaries to “take note.”

“America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations,” Patel said.

Authorities said Zhang had not registered as a foreign agent in the United States.