A Student Said He Was a Hobby Plane Spotter. He Was Allegedly Taking Photos for the Chinese Government
Weiheng Zeng originally said he took photos of planes for an aviation fan website. Later he admitted a suspected Chinese government official had given him specific locations in the U.S. to go photograph.
A Chinese student studying in Canada allegedly crossed into the United States to photograph facilities near Chicago's airport at the direction of a suspected Chinese government official, according to court records. The student, Weiheng Zeng, has crossed into the U.S. around twenty-four times since 2022, according to an FBI affidavit.
On April 19, Zeng was seen in the FedEx parking lot at O'Hare International Airport, allegedly taking photos of aircraft or airport parts. Zeng told authorities he took the photos for a flight radar website as a hobby. However, further investigation revealed he was paid $20 to $30 per picture by someone he referred to as his "Chinese Contact," who assigned him specific planes and tail numbers to photograph.
Zeng said the contact sent him SIM cards to communicate, but instructed him to destroy them and the photos afterward. The contact allegedly communicated through an aviation spotter website, but the site allegedly does not exist. Zeng denied requests to photograph locations in Orlando, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles and only accepted one task, which was to photograph the interior of the FedEx facility at O'Hare International Airport. In total, he made $500 from these assignments.
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