Revision History

A 20-year-old U.S.-born man named Alen Zheng allegedly planted a viable improvised explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base — home to U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command — on March 10, 2026, then fled to China. The device went undetected for six days despite a 911 warning, exposing significant security gaps at one of the nation's most strategically important military installations. The case has become a flashpoint in the national debate over birthright citizenship and immigration policy, even as investigators say they have found no evidence of foreign government involvement.