Report: Chinese American Birthright Citizens Tried to Bomb MacDill Air Force Base, Last Month

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The Chinese American duo that tried to bomb a U.S. Air Force base in Florida last month were anchor babies born to illegal alien parents, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed, Friday.

Siblings Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, were indicted last week in connection with an improvised explosive device (IED) planted outside the MacDill Air Force Base Visitor’s Center in Tampa, Florida.

While the bomb didn’t go off, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory Kehoe said it had “the potential to be very deadly.”

MacDill is home to U.S. Central Command, the headquarters for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and has served as a key planning location for the coordinated U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.

The parents of the siblings, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, were arrested by DHS on March 18 for illegal entry into the U.S. in the 1990s, the Daily Wire reported.

They had applied for asylum in 1993 but were denied and ordered removed in 1998. The pair then remained in the country for several more decades while raising their two children.

Alen Zheng allegedly planted the device on March 10 and then fled to China with his sister, where he remains at large. Ann Mary Zheng was arrested on March 26 in Detroit after returning from China and had a preliminary court hearing the next day.

She was ordered to remain in jail pending an upcoming bail hearing.

Alen is accused of “attempting to damage government property and making and possessing an improvised explosive device,” crimes that carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

Ann Mary stands accused of “evidence tampering and being an accessory after the fact” for allegedly helping her brother flee and destroying a 2010 Mercedes-Benz used to transport the device. She faces up to 30 years if convicted.

Another individual, Jonathan James Elder, was also reportedly arrested in connection to the case. Elder, 35, allegedly called the base on March 18, saying “How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitor Center?” He also threatened further violence. Elder faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

Additionally, a Tampa Bay Times editor reportedly received an anonymous video about the explosive device. The IED was planted on March 10, but not uncovered until March 16.

The 3-minute, 14-second video shows a person in silhouette speaking in a low voice altered by technology.

The bomb, the speaker acknowledged, failed to detonate, but those behind it had “taken actions to rectify this.” The speaker repeatedly used “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 a member of a group called the “New Weathermen Underground,” apparently an updated version of the domestic terrorist group “Weather Underground,” which was cofounded by former president Barack Obama’s former close friend Bill Ayers in 1969.

The Weather Underground carried out at least 25 bombings in the 1970s, including attacks on the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol, and New York City Police Headquarters.

Local far-left activists have targeted the base in recent weeks to protest the Iran War and call for “an end to the imperialist violence.”

The siblings’ parents, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, remain in ICE custody following their arrest by DHS.

Federal officials say they have no evidence linking the Chinese government to the plot, though the case highlights the potential dangers of “birthright citizenship” in the United States.

“This attempted attack illustrates why the improper recognition of ‘birthright citizenship’ for the children of illegal aliens is not only inconsistent with the constitution, but endangers all Americans,” DHS stated on X, Friday.