Alen Zheng, a 20-year-old resident of Land O’Lakes, has been charged by indictment with attempting to damage government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to an announcement on Mar. 26 by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
The charges stem from an incident on the evening of March 10 at the MacDill Air Force Base Visitor’s Center in Tampa. Authorities say Zheng unsuccessfully tried to detonate an improvised explosive device at the location. Law enforcement officials later found and safely disassembled the device, confirming it was indeed improvised.
If convicted on all counts, Zheng faces a minimum sentence of five years and up to forty years in federal prison.
Kehoe said that "an indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty."
The Joint Terrorism Task Force led the investigation into this case. The prosecution will be handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Stoia and David P. Sullivan.
