An Ontario university student is under suspicion of engaging in espionage activities as per the FBI’s disclosure that he confessed to accessing airport facilities in Toronto and Chicago to capture images on behalf of an undisclosed individual from China.
The student, Weiheng Zeng, who is a Chinese national, was apprehended in Michigan on August 23 after crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor, Ontario. He faces a charge of making false statements.
Appearing in a federal court in Detroit on Tuesday, Zeng consented to remain in custody pending his trial.
The suspicions surrounding Zeng, a University of Waterloo undergraduate born in 2004, arose in April following an incident captured on security footage at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, according to details from a criminal complaint obtained by CBC News.
Reportedly, during the recorded incident, Zeng was observed taking photos, climbing a forklift, and trying to access a locked delivery truck and a shipping container in the parking lot of the Chicago airport.
Zeng admitted to climbing the forklift at O’Hare to obtain better photo angles, as stated in the complaint. Investigators later connected Zeng to a dark blue Chrysler Town & Country minivan with Ontario license plates spotted on nearby CCTV.
Upon attempting to re-enter the U.S. while driving the same vehicle last month, Zeng informed U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that he was heading to Chicago for a one-day trip but was subjected to multiple interviews.
Initially, when border agents discovered numerous photos of military aircraft on his phone, Zeng allegedly claimed they were for a flight radar website, citing plane photography as his hobby.
FBI special agent Robert Holbrook detailed in the complaint that Zeng’s phone contained images of him and others in tactical gear and formations, holding rifle-style firearms, which Zeng explained were airsoft guns. He denied any military background or training.
Zeng eventually disclosed to investigators, as per the complaint, that he was being paid by a contact identified in U.S. court records only as “Chinese contact” to photograph specific planes and their tail numbers. Zeng believed this contact was affiliated with a Chinese security service and expressed excitement about the arrangement, claiming they had met on a Chinese aviation enthusiasts’ forum in 2024.
Living in Cambridge, Ontario, Zeng outlined to investigators a complex communication system he allegedly used with the unnamed individual, who paid him in Chinese yuan via bank transfers. The contact would periodically send Zeng a new SIM card to be used in his Huawei cell phone, which Zeng was instructed to destroy after use, along with deleting related conversations and photos.
The SIM card from China Telecom enabled Zeng to bypass the Canadian cellular network and communicate directly with the Chinese provider network to exchange messages with the contact.
During a separate FBI interview last month, Zeng mentioned that he had been directed by his contact in October 2025 to capture photos inside a FedEx facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Though interrupted by a FedEx employee, Zeng managed to snap exterior photos, which he sent to the contact in exchange for around $200 US.
At his initial court appearance in Detroit, a federal prosecutor argued that Zeng posed a flight risk due to being a foreign resident and citizen and emphasized the espionage-like activities he is alleged to have engaged in.
Zeng, through a court-appointed federal defender and Mandarin interpreter, agreed to remain in custody during a subsequent hearing.
The allegations against Zeng have yet to be substantiated in court. The specifics of Zeng’s academic program and entry into Canada remain undisclosed. The University of Waterloo declined to comment on ongoing criminal matters, according to spokesperson Pamela Smyth.
Waterloo police stated they were not involved in the investigation. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa expressed strong opposition to sensationalizing the “China spy threat” and making unfounded accusations against China.
For news tips related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle at thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.
