Florida Man Flees to China After Federal Charges in Bomb Plot Against Base Commanding U.S. War With Iran

Alen Zheng, 20, Is Charged With Planting an Improvised Explosive Device at MacDill Air Force Base; Sister Ann Mary Zheng, 27, Arrested on Charges of Evidence Tampering.

TAMPA — Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed indictments against a man who has fled to China and his sister who remains in Florida, charging them with an improvised explosive device plot targeting MacDill Air Force Base — the nerve center of American military operations against Iran — in a case that raises urgent questions on motive and whether geopolitical factors could be at play.

Alen Zheng, 20, the alleged primary suspect, is charged with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawfully making a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. His sister, Ann Mary Zheng, 27, faces separate charges as an accessory after the fact and for evidence tampering — prosecutors allege she tried to destroy a 2010 black Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 to keep it out of investigators’ hands.

The indictment against Alen Zheng specifically references a suspicious package discovered outside the MacDill visitor center on March 16 and accuses him of knowingly making a firearm and improvised explosive device with the intent to damage or destroy the facility.

Court records reportedly indicate that March 10 is also a date associated with the siblings’ alleged conduct — a detail that aligns with a separate and troubling claim that a first device was planted at the base nearly a week before the one the Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered, and that it failed to detonate.

The primary suspect, however, is not in custody. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Thursday that Alen Zheng has fled to China. “A brother and sister have now been indicted,” Patel wrote on social media. “One is in custody for accessory and evidence tampering and the primary suspect is charged with explosives offenses and is currently in China.” The circumstances of Alen Zheng’s departure — including when he left, whether it occurred before or after the March 16 discovery, and whether his travel was facilitated — have not been disclosed by investigators.

“Today’s indictments are the result of tremendous investigative work from our FBI teams and great coordination from our state, local, and federal partners across the board,” Patel continued, adding: “No one who targets our brave service members and military facilities will ever get away with it — and this FBI will pursue all those responsible for the incident at MacDill Air Force Base to the ends of the earth.”

The siblings are from Land O’ Lakes, a Tampa suburb, and shared a home there, according to court records. The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida held a press conference Thursday afternoon to provide additional details on the indictments.

MacDill is among the most strategically sensitive military installations in the United States. It houses the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which is currently directing Operation Epic Fury — the American and Israeli military campaign against Iran — as well as U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees all special operations forces across the Department of Defense. The base has been on heightened alert since the Iran war began.

The March 16 device prompted an immediate and severe security response. Field screening of the suspicious package identified what the FBI described as “possible energetic materials,” though officials said final laboratory analysis was not yet complete.

The investigation has since grown more complex.

The FBI is separately examining a video sent to the Tampa Bay Times via the encrypted messaging application Signal, in which a figure speaking in silhouette with an electronically altered voice claims responsibility for the device and warns of further attacks. The person in the video identified themselves as part of a group opposed to the war in Iran and to United States deportation policy. The video also claims that a first improvised explosive device was planted at MacDill on March 10 — before the device found on March 16 — and that it failed to detonate, but that any design failures had since been corrected. The newspaper, citing public safety concerns, turned the video over to the FBI for analysis.

Investigators have not publicly linked the video’s claims to Alen or Ann Mary Zheng. It is not known whether the person or persons behind the video are the same individuals named in Thursday’s indictments, or represent a separate actor or group. The FBI has said it is examining the video’s authenticity and working to identify its source.

A third individual, a man from Pinellas County, was arrested earlier this week on charges of making threatening phone calls to the base in the days following the March 16 discovery. Federal investigators said they have found no connection between that caller and the Zheng siblings, and he has not been accused of planting any device.

The case is being prosecuted in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.