Image: South China Morning Post

Chinese-American Siblings Accused of MacDill Bomb Plot; Parents Deported Immigrants

05 April, 2026.USA.3 sources

Key Takeaways

MacDill Air Force Base in Florida targeted by a bomb plot.
Suspects connected to the MacDill case are under investigation.
Coverage spanned Western mainstream and Asian outlets in early April 2026.

The Bomb and The Accusation

Alen Zheng and his sister stand accused of planting an improvised explosive device at MacDill Air Force Base.

“- Today - Holidays - Birthdays - Reminders - Cities - Atlanta - Austin - Baltimore - Berwyn - Beverly Hills - Birmingham - Boston - Brooklyn - Buffalo - Charlotte - Chicago - Cincinnati - Cleveland - Columbus - Dallas - Denver - Detroit - Fort Worth - Houston - Indianapolis - Knoxville - Las Vegas - Los Angeles - Louisville - Madison - Memphis - Miami - Milwaukee - Minneapolis - Nashville - New Orleans - New York - Omaha - Orlando - Philadelphia - Phoenix - Pittsburgh - Portland - Raleigh - Richmond - Rutherford - Sacramento - Salt Lake City - San Antonio - San Diego - San Francisco - San Jose - Seattle - Tampa - Tucson - Washington Chinese-American Siblings Accused of Planting Bomb at Florida Air Force Base The now-adult 'anchor babies' of Chinese illegal aliens are charged in alleged attack on MacDill Air Force Base”

National Today

The bomb was built inside two 2-litre cherry Pepsi bottles and had the potential to be very deadly.

National Today

The device was discovered six days after it was planted, having failed to detonate.

Ann Mary is charged with evidence tampering and being an accessory after the fact.

Their parents were ordered deported in 1998 but remained in the US.

Birthright Citizenship Controversy

The parents' immigration status became a flashpoint for the Trump administration.

ICE took Zou and Zheng into custody eight days after Alen planted the device.

New York Post

The siblings were born in the US and are citizens.

The case comes as the Supreme Court considers challenges to the 14th Amendment.

Security Failures and Political Fallout

The bomb sat undetected for six days at a military installation.

“Bomb allegedly left at US base by Alen Zheng was built inside 2 Pepsi bottles The revelation of the bomb’s make-up comes amid questions of how it sat outside the military installation for six days without being found The bomb placed outside a US Air Force Base visitors centre in Florida last month was built inside two 2-litre cherry Pepsi bottles, according to federal prosecutors”