MacDill AFB bomb suspect indicted; officials say he fled to China
A man accused of planting an improvised explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has been indicted after fleeing to China, according to federal officials. The bomb was left outside the base’s visitor center earlier this month but failed to detonate.
Alen Zheng, 20, of Land O’Lakes, was charged with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Prosecutors said the device was placed outside the visitor’s center at MacDill on the evening of March 10 but did not explode. Law enforcement later recovered the device, disarmed it and determined it was an improvised explosive device.
If convicted, Zheng faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and up to 40 years in federal prison. He remains in China.
At a briefing on Thursday, U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe said a 911 call came in minutes after the device was placed, reporting that a bomb had been planted on the base, but no location was given. He said MacDill personnel searched the base and did not find the device at that time.
Kehoe said base security found the device on March 15 in a secluded area and contacted law enforcement. He said investigators later identified the phone used in the 911 call, traced it to Zheng and linked him to the vehicle seen leaving the base that night.
Kehoe said the next day, Zheng and his sister made plans to flee to China. He said they bought tickets on March 11 and sold the SUV that investigators say was used to transport the device to MacDill. Zheng and his sister left for China on March 12.
The FBI later searched Zheng’s home and found components consistent with the device placed at MacDill. Zheng’s mother and sister told investigators that Zheng had admitted planting the bomb.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Zheng’s sister has also been charged, accusing her of acting as an accessory and tampering with evidence. Kehoe identified her as Ann Mary Zheng and said she returned to the United States on March 17.
Kehoe said investigators do not yet know why the device failed to detonate, but said it could have been deadly. He also said authorities are still working to determine a motive.
Kehoe said the case is separate from the prosecution of Jonathan James Elder, who is accused of making threatening calls to the base days later.
MacDill is home to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, the military command overseeing current U.S. operations in the Middle East, as well as U.S. Special Operations Command.
The post MacDill AFB bomb suspect indicted; officials say he fled to China appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
