Federal charges filed in MacDill explosives case
A federal prosecutor said an Alabama man who fled to China after leaving an explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has been indicted along with his sister in Florida on federal charges. Prosecutors also said their mother was detained pending deportation after overstaying her visa.
Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, were charged in separate federal indictments filed Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe said during a news conference Thursday. Kehoe said both siblings are U.S. citizens, and he said Ann Mary Zheng was arrested after returning from China, where she had flown with her brother after what prosecutors described as the threat.
Kehoe said the device did not detonate, but he said it “could have potentially been very deadly.” He said Alen Zheng faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of attempting to damage government property and unlawfully making and possessing the explosive device.
Kehoe said Ann Mary Zheng faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of witness tampering and being an accessory after the fact to the crime, which prosecutors described as allegedly involving the sale of the car used to drop off the package. A federal public defender declined to comment on the charges.
Kehoe said the suspicious package was undiscovered for nearly a week before investigators moved quickly after it was found on March 16. He said agents determined Alen Zheng had planted the device on March 10 and had made a 911 call minutes later reporting a bomb at the base.
Kehoe said investigators then focused on the steps the siblings took after the call. He said Alen Zheng and his sister sold their Mercedes-Benz SUV, bought tickets to China, and left by March 12. Kehoe said Air Force personnel initially searched the base without discovering the device, and that the case accelerated once the package was found outside the visitors center.
Kehoe said investigators used phone data to connect the 911 call to Alen Zheng and relied on surveillance video that identified the SUV. He said that by the time investigators reached CarMax, the vehicle had been vacuumed and cleaned, but they were still able to find evidence, including residue they said matched the explosive.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor said the device found outside the base’s gate was flown by helicopter to an FBI laboratory in Huntsville, Alabama, for further examination. Kehoe also said agents searched the family’s home and reported finding components of an explosive device.
Kehoe said he was not sure whether the siblings also have Chinese citizenship. He said investigators have “no immediate evidence” that Alen Zheng was working on behalf of the Chinese government or any other country, adding, “We’re exploring every avenue we can to get him back to the United States.”
The U.S. Central Command is located at MacDill and is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. Kehoe said MacDill has been on heightened alert since the war in Iran began.
Kehoe said another man was arrested earlier this week on charges of making threatening phone calls to the base days after the device was discovered, but investigators had not accused that caller of planting any devices. Kehoe said there was no immediate connection between that caller and the Zhengs.