Siblings indicted after IED found at MacDill Air Force Base, FBI says
A brother and sister are facing federal charges after authorities said an explosive device was found at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida, last week.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel announced in a March 26 post on X that the siblings were indicted in connection with the incident at the military base.
Patel said one sibling was in custody on charges including evidence tampering. The other sibling, who Patel called the “prime suspect” in the case, has been charged with explosives offenses and is “currently in China.”
Federal court records identified the siblings charged as Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27. The FBI Tampa office previously reported the improvised explosive device, or IED, was found on March 16 outside the MacDill base visitor center.
Indictments reviewed by USA TODAY show federal officials accused Alen Zheng of attempting to destroy the visitor’s center at the base with an explosive and making an IED. Ann Mary Zheng is accused of trying to “corruptly alter, destroy, mutilate and conceal” a 2010 black Mercedes-Benz vehicle.
Public records show Ann Mary Zheng with addresses in New York and Florida. The most recent address for her brother is in Land O’Lakes in Pasco County, Florida.
The base serves as the headquarters for U.S. Special Operations Command. Also called CENTCOM, the command is responsible for operations in 20 countries across the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia.
Since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, U.S. military bases, including MacDill as well as federal counterterrorism agencies, have been on high alert for a potential retaliatory attack in the United States.
The arrests come after another incident at the military base last week. Jonathan James Elder, 35, was accused of making threatening phone calls on March 18 to the same base, according to a federal criminal complaint. He was arrested on March 23, a warrant obtained by USA TODAY showed.
During a phone call, Elder allegedly referred to a suspicious package discovered on March 16 at the base’s visitor center near a gate, according to the complaint. He also allegedly made threats against the base to employees during the call.
Military officials said last week that the base was under a shelter-in-place order, which was lifted several hours later, after a threat came in on March 18.
Contributing: Dinah Pulver and Thao Nguyen with USA TODAY
This story has been updated.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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