Irvine woman accused of spying for China arrested by FBI agents at Los Angeles International Airport

The FBI arrested a woman at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday, claiming she was a Chinese spy.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the FBI arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, of Irvine, as she attempted to travel to China.

He shared a video on social media of Zhang handcuffed with several FBI agents.

Zhang is accused of acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Essayli says she traveled to Seattle in 2025 under the leadership of the PRC and monitored a close relative of a Taiwanese government official. She is accused of sending photos, videos and information about her license plate to PRC officials.

Zhang is scheduled to appear in federal court on Monday.

SEE ALSO: ICE at LAX: Undercover federal agents arrest woman at Los Angeles International Airport, video shows

In an unrelated case, another woman was arrested by undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at LAX Friday evening.

Cellphone video shows federal law enforcement officers arresting a woman and placing her in a truck.

In the video, a witness is heard asking the officers why they are taking the woman, to which one of them responds: “immigration violation.” The woman is then heard saying: “I’m not doing anything wrong. »

Airport officials said federal agencies were conducting their own independent investigations and airport operations were continuing as normal.