Siblings indicted after explosive device found outside Air Force base
MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, is home to U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Air Force's Air Mobility Command.
Updated on: March 26, 2026 / 8:09 PM EDT / CBS News
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.
Indictments were unsealed charging Alen Zheng and his sister, Ann Mary Zheng, in connection with the device, which was found at the base's visitor center on March 16. FBI Director Kash Patel said Alen Zheng fled to China, where he remains, and Ann Mary Zheng is in custody for accessory and evidence tampering. She had her initial appearance before a judge on Thursday morning.
"This FBI, working with our partners, will continue pursuing all those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice, no matter where they are," Patel wrote on social media .
Law enforcement in Tampa responded to a report of a suspicious package at MacDill's visitor center near an entrance gate to the base on March 16, when the device was found by base security. Investigators with the FBI's Tampa field office said last week that field screening of the package identified "possible energetic materials," though final lab analysis hadn't yet been completed.
U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe told reporters when announcing the charges against the siblings that the device did not detonate but "could've been potentially very deadly." The motive is unknown, but Kehoe said "they obviously felt quite strongly about something or anything that the United States government was doing."