Prosecutor: Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago is 'extreme' flight risk, should not be allowed to make phone calls

Mar-a-Lago
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The FBI is investigating whether the Chinese woman arrested Saturday at President Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, was working as a Chinese intelligence operative, people familiar with the matter told the Miami Herald.

The arrest of Yujing Zhang also revived an FBI investigation into possible Chinese spying in South Florida, the newspaper reports. Zhang was carrying a thumb drive with "malicious malware" on it when she was arrested, and has been charged with lying to a federal officer and entering restricted property.

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Prosecutor John McMillan said Zhang is an "extreme risk of flight" if released from custody, as she has no ties to the United States. He also said there are "security implications" that should keep Zhang from making any phone calls while in custody. Zhang asked several questions during the hearing, and the judge noted that she was "obviously very intelligent because your questions are excellent for a defendant in this situation."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.