TAMPA, Fla. — Two siblings from Land O’Lakes have been federally indicted in connection with an attempted bombing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
According to the indictment, 20-year-old Alen Zheng placed an improvised explosive device (IED) outside the base’s visitor center on March 10.
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U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory Kehoe said a phone later traced to Alen was used to call 911 shortly after the bomb was placed. According to Kehoe, the caller reported a bomb on the base but did not specify an exact location.
The device did not detonate and was not discovered until six days later by an airman in what Kehoe described as a “secluded” area of the visitor center.
Alen faces federal charges of attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, he could face a minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison.
Alen, however, is still at-large. The siblings reportedly fled to China two days after the IED was placed.
According to Kehoe, Alen’s sister, 27-year-old Ann Mary Zheng, returned to the U.S. on March 17 and has been charged with helping her brother flee and destroying evidence. Prosecutors say she helped her brother sell a vehicle linked to the crime.
As of Thursday evening, Zheng is booked back into the Pinellas County Jail.
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Ann Mary Zheng by Tampa Bay 28
As for the IED, Kehoe described the device as potentially deadly.
"There always is a level of professionalism when somebody puts an IED together," he said. “That certainly could have caused significant damage to people that were in the range."
FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor said local law enforcement provided critical support in handling the device, including transporting it by helicopter to Huntsville for analysis.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and U.S. authorities are “exploring every avenue” to bring Zheng back to the United States.
“I’m not going to get into what our discussions are with the Chinese government at this point,” Kehoe said.
He added investigators have found no evidence that the siblings were acting on behalf of any country or government, and a motive is still unknown.
“They obviously felt quite strongly about something or anything that the United States government was doing,” Kehoe said.
MacDill Air Force Base has been the subject of several threats in recent weeks, prompting the base to be placed on Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie, a heightened security posture. MacDill is home to U.S. Central Command, which is helping execute the war with Iran.
On March 25, a Pinellas County man was charged with making a threat involving explosives to MacDill Air Force Base, prompting a lockdown of the base.
This is a breaking news story. Stay with Tampa Bay 28 on all platforms for the latest information as it becomes available.
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