U.S. Unseals Indictments Charging Alen Zheng, Sister In Custody Over MacDill Device

The single most important NEW development is the unsealing of federal indictments charging Alen Zheng and his sister Ann Mary Zheng in connection with the MacDill Air Force Base explosive-device incident, with Zheng now identified as being in China and Ann Mary Zheng in custody after returning from abroad.

“FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla”

ABC7 Los Angeles

These charges pin down specific counts and the legal framework for prosecution, shifting the story from a suspect-spotlight to formal judicial action.

ABC7 Los Angeles

Alen Zheng is charged with three counts—attempting to damage government property by fire or explosion, unlawfully making a destructive device, and possessing an unregistered destructive device—while Ann Mary Zheng faces witness-tampering and being an accessory after the fact.

Authorities also note the mother’s detention on visa-overstay grounds as part of the broader case.

The indictment underscores that the device did not detonate and that prosecutors view the matter as a serious threat to a high-value U.S. installation.

"Alen Zheng faces 40 years in prison if convicted of attempting to damage government property and unlawfully making and possessing the explosive device," per the U.S. Attorney, while the sister faces up to 30 years for her alleged roles.

"This FBI, working with our partners, will continue pursuing all those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice, no matter where they are."

A 911 call on March 10 warned of a bomb near the base’s visitor center, and six days later the device was discovered outside the same area.

The device did not detonate, but could have been deadly, according to prosecutors.

Associated Press

The defendants allegedly fled by purchasing tickets to China the day after the bomb threat and selling the vehicle used to transport the device before departing.

Alen Zheng remains at large in China while Ann Mary Zheng returned to the U.S. and was detained.

Alen Zheng purchased the phone used to make the threat at a Best Buy, with surveillance video capturing the purchase and use of a vehicle tied to the case.

“Washington — Two siblings have been charged after an improvised explosive device was left outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, earlier this month, federal prosecutors announced Thursday”

CBS News

Agents linked the 911 call to Alen Zheng through phone data and found traces of explosive material in the SUV used in the incident.

A search of the Zheng home yielded items consistent with components used to assemble an explosive device, and the device itself was sent to an FBI lab for examination.

MacDill houses CENTCOM and USSOCOM and has been on heightened alert as U.S. operations in West Asia continue.

Non-Western outlets underscore MacDill’s strategic role in U.S. security calculations and the potential regional implications of the case.

FOX 5 DC

The mother has been detained pending deportation for overstaying her visa, as part of the broader family case.

Prosecutors signal long potential sentences for the siblings, and indicate ongoing cooperation with international partners, including efforts to bring Alen Zheng back from China.

FOX 7 Austin