An Ontario university student is under suspicion for espionage following admissions by the FBI that he accessed airport facilities in Toronto and Chicago to capture photos on behalf of an unidentified individual from China.
The student, Weiheng Zeng, a Chinese national, was apprehended in Michigan on August 23 after crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor, Ontario. He faces charges for making false statements and appeared in a federal court in Detroit, agreeing to remain in custody until his trial.
Zeng, a University of Waterloo undergraduate student born in 2004, came under scrutiny by U.S. authorities in April after an incident at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, as detailed in a criminal complaint examined by CBC News. Surveillance footage showed a man, later identified as Zeng, taking photos, climbing a forklift, and attempting to access locked delivery trucks and shipping containers in a FedEx parking lot at the airport.
The complaint stated that Zeng admitted to climbing the forklift to get better angles for his photos. Investigators traced Zeng to a dark blue Chrysler Town & Country minivan with Ontario plates captured on nearby CCTV cameras.
Upon attempting to re-enter the U.S. in the same vehicle the next month, Zeng told U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that he was on a one-day trip to Chicago, but his story changed during subsequent interviews. Border agents found multiple photos of military aircraft on his phone, initially claimed to be for a flight radar website, and later said to be his hobby.
Further investigations revealed Zeng’s involvement in photographing specific planes and tail numbers for a “Chinese contact,” whom he believed worked for a Chinese security agency. Zeng disclosed that they had met on a Chinese aviation enthusiasts’ forum in 2024.
Zeng, residing in Cambridge, Ontario, detailed a communication system with the contact involving bank transfers in Chinese yuan and the periodic mailing of new SIM cards for his Huawei phone. He was instructed to destroy the SIM cards, delete messages, and photos after use.
The FBI’s criminal complaint highlighted Zeng’s admission that he was directed to photograph a FedEx facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport in October 2025, leading to a confrontation with an employee. Despite only capturing exterior images, Zeng said he sent the photos to his contact and received payment.
During court proceedings, a federal prosecutor argued that Zeng posed a flight risk due to being a foreign citizen engaged in suspected espionage activities. Despite the allegations, the case against Zeng is yet to be proven in court.
The University of Waterloo declined to comment on the ongoing matter, and the local police confirmed no involvement in the investigation. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa denounced the “China spy threat” narrative and unfounded accusations against China.
For news tips related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle at thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.
