Chinese woman used ChatGPT to help her brother flee to their homeland after he planted bomb outside Florida Air Force base, prosecutors say https://t.co/x28ChupQvR
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) April 1, 2026
After Alen Zheng, 20, allegedly placed an IED outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on March 10, Ann Mary Zheng, 27, used the AI bot to try to help him, the court heard.
Zheng asked ChatGPT questions about how to obtain a Chinese visa the following day, according to the Tampa Bay Times, whose reporter attended a court hearing on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said she also asked the bot to explain how to transfer ownership of properties in her brother’s name, and googled Chinese schools he could attend.
She is also accused of disposing of evidence in the days after the bomb targeted the key base, which serves as a nerve center for America’s war with Iran.
During the chilling bomb plot, Alen allegedly lit a fuse for the explosive device, which was placed outside the Air Force base visitor center, but it did not detonate.
Prosecutors said the Zheng siblings, who share an address in Land O’Lakes, Tampa, fled to China on March 12 and Alen is still there. His sister was detained after returning to the US on March 17.
Zheng wore glasses and an orange prison jumpsuit for her hearing on Tuesday. While she quietly conferred with her attorney, she did not speak to the court.