Ontario student accused in U.S. of photographing airports for Chinese contact

An Ontario university student allegedly took photographs of American aircraft for a Chinese contact who gave him specific planes to target and paid him $20 to $30 per image, according to an FBI affidavit filed in a Michigan court.

Weiheng Zeng, a Chinese citizen studying at the University of Waterloo, first drew attention after an April incident at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. A man was seen photographing the site, climbing onto a forklift and trying to open locked trailers at a FedEx facility. Investigators later linked the incident to a dark blue minivan with Ontario plates that had been at the facility.

When Zeng attempted to enter the United States again in the same vehicle on Aug. 23, border agents questioned him before turning the matter over to the FBI’s counterintelligence team. The affidavit says he provided conflicting accounts and was charged with making false statements.

Zeng initially said he had gone to Chicago to photograph planes and had told customs officials he was visiting his sister. A search of his phone found aircraft and military-plane photographs, along with images of Zeng and others wearing tactical clothing and holding rifle-style firearms. He said the firearms were airsoft guns and denied receiving military training.

During later interviews, Zeng said he photographed planes from a public parking lot, then acknowledged climbing a forklift at the FedEx facility. He also told agents he had previously trespassed at Toronto Pearson airport and had been caught. In a later account, he said a contact from an aviation-spotter website had assigned him aircraft using tail numbers. The contact allegedly mailed him SIM cards, and Zeng said he destroyed them and deleted messages and photographs. He said he suspected the contact had ties to the Chinese Communist Party.