Siblings Indicted in MacDill AFB Explosive Plot

Federal prosecutors have indicted a brother and sister in connection with placing an explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, an incident that heightened security concerns at the military installation. Alen Zheng, 20, faces charges of attempting to damage government property, unlawfully making a destructive device and possessing an unregistered destructive device. His sister, Ann Mary Zheng, 27, is charged with being an accessory after the fact and witness tampering. The indictments, unsealed this week, stem from a suspicious package discovered on March 16 near the base's visitor center.

According to court documents and officials, Alen Zheng allegedly planted the improvised explosive device on March 10 outside a base gate. The following day, he made a 911 call alerting authorities to the device's presence, though an initial search by Air Force personnel failed to locate it. The package, which contained explosive components intended to damage government property, was found four days later, prompting a major law enforcement response, traffic shutdowns and an FBI investigation. The device was transported by helicopter to an FBI laboratory in Huntsville,...