The base has recently been in the spotlight due to Operation Epic Fury launched by Trump almost a month ago.
An explosive device was found at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and the two main suspects - who are already charged by the US federal justice system - are two brothers who fled to China.
The suspicious package was found at the base's visitor center on March 16. Ann Mary Zheng, 27, is in custody and has already appeared before the courts for her first hearing. His 20-year-old brother, Alen, is in China, according to Fox News
Investigators allege that Alen Zheng failed in his attempt to “detonate” the improvised explosive device on March 10, which was found days later and “safely dismantled”. The federal prosecutor's office also alleges that Ann Zheng was aware of her brother's plans and that she helped him to avoid his “capture, trial
and punishment.”
“An IED was placed at MacDill Air Force Base, headquarters of CENTCOM and the U.S. Special Operations Command,” the director of the Trump administration's FBI, Kash Patel, published Thursday on X. Although it is not clear if the motive of the two defendants is connected to the ongoing war in the Middle East, it should be noted that the base has recently been in the spotlight because of this conflict.
Although Alen Zheng is currently in China, it was reported that both are U.S. citizens and appear to reside in a city in Florida. The brothers had originally fled to the Asian country after planting the explosive and could face up to 30 years in prison.
