Suspect consults ChatGPT after brother allegedly plants bomb at US Air Force base

One-half of the sibling pair charged in connection with an IED discovered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa allegedly consulted an AI bot to help the other sibling flee the country.

Alen is believed to still be in China.

After Alen Zheng, 20, allegedly planted the bomb at the base visitor center last month, his sister Ann Mary Zheng, 27, allegedly used ChatGPT to help Alen escape to China. Federal prosecutors claim that she asked the bot:

how to obtain a Chinese visa,
how they might transfer ownership of some of Alen’s belongings to her, and
to find schools in China that Alen might be able to attend.

Ann Mary is accused of helping Alen cover his tracks and then evade capture. She has been charged with evidence tampering and assisting after the fact and faces up to 30 years if convicted. She appeared in court on Tuesday regarding possible pretrial release, though the judge has not yet issued a ruling.

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WD Stuart/Getty Images

A 911 call to report the bomb came in on March 11, but investigators found nothing in their initial search of the base. An IED was later discovered on March 16. The device never detonated, but officials have described it as “viable” and “potentially very deadly.”

Alen and Ann Mary Zheng bought plane tickets to China on March 11 and flew there on March 12. For reasons unknown, Ann Mary returned to the U.S. on March 17. Alen is believed to still be in China.

Though he remains at large, Alen has been charged with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, he could spend 40 years in federal prison.

Alen and Ann Mary Zheng are U.S. citizens, but their parents, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, are not. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Chinese natives applied for asylum in the U.S. “years ago” but were denied. They were detained shortly after the IED was discovered and now face deportation.

At a press conference, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Florida Gregory Kehoe claimed that while the siblings’ mother was not currently charged with any crime, the possibility of future charges against her could not be precluded.

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