Ontario university student arrested in U.S. espionage case

University of Waterloo student implicated in U.S. spying investigation COLIN FREEZE CAMBRIDGE, ONT. MATTHEW FRANK TORONTO PUBLISHED YESTERDAY UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: The FBI alleges in a criminal complaint that a University of Waterloo student took photographs of aircraft and facilities at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to send to a Chinese contact. Surveillance footage captures an individual on a forklift taking photos. U.S. DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN/SUPPLIED COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. American authorities say they suspect that an Ontario university student had been spying for an unknown person in China by taking photos of aircraft and airport facilities in Toronto and Chicago. On Aug. 23, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers arrested the student, Weiheng Zeng, a Chinese citizen born in 2004, while he attempted to cross the Ambassador Bridge and travel to Detroit, a criminal complaint filed by the FBI states. Mr. Zeng, an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo who lives in Cambridge, Ont., is being detained in Detroit, where he has been charged with one count of making false statements. Open this photo in gallery: Weiheng Zeng. COURTESY OF FAMILY However, in an interview with The Globe and Mail Wednesday in Mr. Zeng’s family’s home in Cambridge, his twin sister, Meixuan Wang, disputed the allegations as far-fetched. She described her brother as a “really nerdy, silly guy,” who is obsessed with airplanes and has autism spectrum disorder. “If he’s a spy, I’m Trump’s dad,” said Ms. Wang, who also uses the name Jade. None of the allegations against Mr. Zeng have been tested in court. Defence lawyer Celeste Kinney, a public defender who represented Mr. Zeng in court after his arrest, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Ms. Wang told The Globe on Wednesday that the family is looking for a lawyer in the U.S. to represent her brother. An unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said in an e-mail that it “firmly opposes hyping up the so-called ‘China spy threat’ and the baseless speculations and smears against China.” Speaking to The Globe on behalf of her family, Ms. Wang said she read the Federal Bureau of Investigation complaint and that it came as a surprise because her brother – known as “Billy” – always shared many details of his life with…