The indictment unsealed this week says a brother and sister stand accused in an apparent IED incident near MacDill Air Force Base, a case that prompted a base lockdown and has federal authorities tracing a political motive tied to opposition to the Iran war and deportation policy. The FBI says the suspected bomb planter is believed to be abroad, while his sister faces charges at home for allegedly aiding efforts to obstruct the probe. The case includes a mysterious, anonymous video claiming responsibility and threats of follow-up attacks, heightening concern about domestic groups imitating past violent movements.

A federal grand jury returned charges after a suspicious package and related threats forced heightened security at the Tampa base and disrupted normal operations. Officials responded quickly, and the discovery prompted a lockdown and shelter-in-place measures while investigators secured the scene and began their forensic work. The incident focused attention on the safety of service members and the vulnerability of military facilities on U.S. soil.

Prosecutors say Alen Zheng is charged with making and possessing a destructive device and attempted damage to government property, and he is believed to be in China. His sister, Ann Mary Zheng, was arrested in Florida and faces accessory and evidence-tampering charges linked to the alleged scheme. Federal authorities say coordination across local, state, and federal partners produced the indictments and kept the investigation moving forward.

From Fox News:

A brother and sister have been indicted in connection with the placement of a possible explosive device at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The FBI said Alen Zheng, who is believed to have planted the device, is currently in China. He is facing charges of attempted damage to government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device and possession of an unregistered destructive device.

FBI Tampa also arrested his sister, Ann Mary Zheng, who is charged with accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence.

She is accused of hiding or damaging a 2010 Mercedes-Benz to prevent its use in legal proceedings, court documents show.

“Today’s indictments are the result of tremendous investigative work from our FBI teams and great coordination from our state, local, and federal partners across the board,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“No one who targets our brave service members and military facilities will ever get away with it — and this FBI will pursue all those responsible for the incident at MacDill Air Force Base to the ends of the earth,” he added.

Federal agents are still analyzing the device and looking into the group that claimed responsibility, which said its actions were a protest against the U.S. war in Iran and the Department of Homeland Security’s deportation efforts. The group reportedly sent an anonymous video to a local news outlet that repeats threats and claims multiple incidents over recent weeks. Those claims have forced investigators to treat the matter as a potential domestic terror plot rather than a lone criminal act.

In the anonymous 3-minute, 14-second video sent to a Times editor Monday night, a person appears in silhouette speaking in a low voice altered by technology. The video contains closed captions.

The speaker lays out a timeline of threats made against MacDill last week: a suspicious package reported at MacDill’s Dale Mabry Gate on March 16 and another, separate, threat made March 18. The latter threat prompted a shelter-in-place order from the base, which was lifted later that day.

But the person in the video added a previously unreported claim that someone planted a bomb near the base on March 10. It is unclear if the bomb referenced is in addition to the package found on the 16th or related to the threat on the 18th.

The bomb placed on March 10, the speaker said, failed to detonate, but those behind it had “taken actions to rectify this.” The speaker repeatedly uses “we” in the video.

“We have a newly improved design that we plan to use in the upcoming days,” the speaker said, claiming to be part of a political group against the U.S. war in Iran and the Department of Homeland Security’s deportation efforts.

The person in the video identified the group as the “New Weatherman Underground,” echoing the name of a notorious 1970s leftist bombing group. That apparent imitation of historical violent tactics is alarming because it signals deliberate radicalization and a willingness to borrow methods that once targeted federal institutions. Security experts are treating that name as a red flag for organized, politically motivated violence at home.

Separately, U.S. agencies have warned about the risk of foreign-influenced sleeper cells and radical networks that could exploit tensions around foreign policy and immigration to inspire attacks. Intelligence warnings make clear that hostile state actors and ideologues will look for openings to encourage or amplify violent acts inside the United States. This case underscores how foreign and domestic threats can intersect and complicate the security picture.

From a conservative security perspective, the indictment is proof we must protect our bases and back our law enforcement agencies to pursue every lead relentlessly. The suspects face serious federal charges, and those who target military personnel or facilities should be treated as enemies of the republic. The priority now has to be thorough investigation, prosecution where warranted, and shoring up the gaps that allowed this threat to get as far as it did.