(Miami) A man was charged with planting an explosive device on March 10 at the entrance to a major military base in Florida, which houses the US military command for the Middle East, Centcom, judicial authorities announced Thursday.
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The main suspect “is currently in China” while his sister, suspected of having helped him escape, was arrested, said on X Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, the federal police.
The man, Alen Zheng, is accused of attempting to damage the reception center at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Fla., on March 10, according to the indictment dated Wednesday and unsealed Thursday.
Alen Zheng, 20, according to a Department of Justice press release, is charged with attempted destruction of government property, as well as unlawful manufacture and possession of a destructive device.
During the evening of March 10, he unsuccessfully attempted to detonate an improvised explosive device at the base reception center, the department said.
The device was subsequently discovered and defused by the police, adds the department, without indicating the date.
American authorities reported on March 16 the discovery of a “suspicious package” at the entrance to the base, which prompted local traffic police to close the surrounding area.
The suspect’s sister, Ann Mary Zheng, is accused of helping him escape the authorities by hiding his car. She was arrested on Wednesday and a hearing on her possible continued detention was set for March 31.
MacDill Air Force Base is the headquarters of Centcom, which is currently waging the war launched on February 28 against Iran by the United States and Israel.
