Miami (AFP) – A man suspected of planting an improvised explosive device (IED) at a military base in Florida that hosts US Central Command (CENTCOM) has fled to China, FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday. Alen Zheng, 20, is accused in an indictment unsealed on Thursday of placing an IED earlier this month at the visitors center to MacDill Air Force base in Tampa, Florida. The device failed to explode and it was discovered and disassembled by the authorities on March 16, the US Attorney’s office said in a statement.
MacDill is the headquarters of CENTCOM, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East and the prosecution of the war against Iran. It is also home to US Special Operations Command. Patel, in a post on X, said Zheng’s sister, Ann Mary Zheng, had also been indicted and is in custody. She is charged with evidence tampering and helping her brother evade arrest.
Alen Zheng is charged with attempting to damage government property, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of a destructive device. Patel said he is “currently in China.”
© 2024 AFP
