A brother and sister have been indicted after an IED was allegedly found at an Air Force base in Florida, FBI Director Kash Patel said. “An IED was placed at MacDill Air Force Base – home to CENTCOM and U.S. Special Operations Command. A brother and sister have now been indicted. One is in custody for accessory and evidence tampering and the primary suspect is charged with explosives offenses and is currently in China,” Patel said. “This FBI, working with our partners, will continue pursuing all those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice, no matter where they are,” he continued. An IED was placed at MacDill Air Force Base – home to CENTCOM and U.S. Special Operations Command. A brother and sister have now been indicted. One is in custody for accessory and evidence tampering and the primary suspect is charged with explosives offenses and is currently… pic.twitter.com/am6YWbgZCt — FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 26, 2026 Fox News explained further: 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, which carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison. FBI Tampa also arrested his sister, Ann Mary Zheng, who is charged with accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence, facing up to 30 years in prison. She is accused of hiding or damaging a 2010 Mercedes-Benz to prevent its use in legal proceedings, court documents show. Prosecutors allege that on March 11, the day after the bomb was planted, the siblings attempted to cover their tracks by selling the vehicle to car dealer CarMax. Despite being vacuumed and cleaned, investigators later discovered trace explosive residue inside the vehicle. The indictments were unsealed Thursday morning, and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Greg Kehoe detailed the timeline of the shocking incident during a news conference Thursday afternoon. Fox News shared the announcement of the indictments: WATCH LIVE: Officials announce indictments in alleged IED plot at MacDill Air Force Base https://t.co/HIaFzPuHfs — Fox News (@FoxNews) March 26, 2026 USA TODAY has more: Public records show Ann Mary Zheng with addresses in New York and Florida. The most recent address for her brother is in Land O’Lakes in Pasco County, Florida. The base serves as the headquarters for U.S. Special Operations Command. Also called CENTCOM, the command is responsible for operations in 20 countries across the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. Since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, U.S. military bases, including MacDill as well as federal counterterrorism agencies, have been on high alert for a potential retaliatory attack in the United States. The arrests come after another incident at the military base last week. Jonathan James Elder, 35, was accused of making threatening phone calls on March 18 to the same base, according to a federal criminal complaint. He was arrested on March 23, a warrant obtained by USA TODAY showed.