The plan to attack several businesses in the Los Angeles area on New Year's Eve was detailed, dangerous and already underway, authorities said.
But because four men allegedly associated with a left-wing anti-government group gathered in the Mojave Desert last week to make and test several test bombs, FBI officials say, agents were able to foil the terrorist plot.
“They had everything they needed to make an operational bomb at this location,” said U.S. First Officer Atty. Bill Essayli said this at a press conference on Monday morning. “We foiled this terrorist plot before buildings were demolished or innocent people were killed.”
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Four people were arrested on suspicion of plotting what Essayli described as “organized, sophisticated and extremely brutal.” All were affiliated with what officials described as a radical faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front called the Order of the Black Lotus. FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis called the faction a “violent, homegrown anti-government group.”
Officials did not identify the businesses or buildings the group allegedly planned to attack, but Essayli said they were various “logistics centers” similar to what Amazon might have. He said they are located in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Charged in the criminal complaint are Audrey Illeen Carroll, 30, of Los Angeles; Zachary Aaron Page, 32, of Torrance; Dante Gaffield, 24, from Los Angeles; and Tina Lai, 41, of Glendale, conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Their lawyers either did not immediately respond to requests or declined to comment.
According to the complaint, the group shared a handwritten document titled “Operation Midnight Sun.” The plan, authorities said, was to plant backpacks containing improvised explosive devices in five locations, targeting two American companies that would be “detonated simultaneously” at midnight on New Year's Eve.
Federal authorities said group members shared the document in November. The complaint details the assembly of “sophisticated pipe bombs,” including instructions on how to construct the devices and “guidance on how not to leave behind evidence that could be used to trace” the group, the complaint states.
FBI officials continued to track the group until Dec. 12, when the suspects traveled to a location near Twentynine Palms with “bomb-making materials” and plans to make and test the devices, the complaint said.
There, investigators watched as the group began collecting materials before intervening and arresting the group. FBI officials shared limited surveillance aircraft footage of that day that showed six people setting up tents near two vehicles.
It was not immediately clear who the other two people in the video were or whether they were related to the group, but officials said they believe everyone involved in the alleged plan has been arrested.
Following the arrests, the FBI searched the area and found containers of bomb-making ingredients, as well as several pieces of PVC pipe and glass bottles, according to court records. An FBI explosives specialist examined the materials and said they were “likely to be used to make both improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails,” the complaint states.
The alleged plot uncovered by the FBI also details possible subsequent attacks after the bombings, which included plans to attack federal immigration agents and vehicles with homemade bombs, Essayli said.
Essayli called the arrests an example of “left-wing domestic terrorist organizations” that pose a threat to the nation and are a key focus of his office.
The Trump administration has vowed to step up prosecution of groups that espouse “extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity,” among other ideologies mentioned in note sent to Atty. General Pam Bondi to federal law enforcement this month. On Monday, she called the arrests in Southern California “an incredible effort by our U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI to ensure Americans can live in peace.”
“We will continue to pursue these terrorist groups and bring them to justice,” Bondi wrote in a statement.
The mission of the Order of the Black Lotus faction was not immediately clear, but social media page The Turtle Island Liberation Front describes the group as an anti-capitalist and anti-colonization group, taking its name from a Native American term used to refer to America.
The criminal complaint says the group publicly posts “content that advocates violence against U.S. officials” and opposed peaceful protesturging people to “rise up and fight back.”
Another person was arrested by the FBI's New Orleans office in connection with the investigation, but Essayli said that person was not directly linked to the alleged plot. The man's identity has not been released to authorities. Essayli said the man was arrested after threatening FBI agents while they were executing a search warrant in the case.
Federal officials said the arrests were made with the support of multiple local agencies through the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Palm Springs Police Department and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
