FBI Releases Pictures of Would-Be Terrorists Who Plotted Jan. 1 Bombings in Los Angeles

Federal authorities arrested five members of a radical anti-Israel, anti-American extremist group accused of plotting coordinated bomb attacks across Southern California on New Year’s Eve, according to the FBI and a federal criminal complaint.

Officials said the “credible, imminent terrorist threat” targeted logistics centers operated by five unnamed companies in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. The suspects were identified as members of a violent faction linked to the left-wing Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), which law enforcement describes as an anti-capitalist, anti-government and openly anti-American movement with strong pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel ideology.

According to the criminal complaint, the offshoot faction called itself the Order of the Black Lotus and shared an “eight-page, handwritten document titled ‘OPERATION MIDNIGHT SUN’” with a confidential FBI source. The document laid out detailed plans for the bombings.

Four of the suspects were arrested in Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert, where they were caught on video testing improvised explosive devices, Los Angeles first assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said at a press conference. A fifth suspect was taken into custody separately in New Orleans while allegedly preparing another attack.

The arrests were first reported by Fox News.

Those charged were identified as Audrey Ilene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41. They face charges of conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Authorities said Carroll and Page led the group.

The group had begun constructing what prosecutors described as “complex pipe bombs” using “homemade gunpowder” when FBI agents moved in and arrested them on Dec. 12.

“Carroll’s bomb plot was explicit,” Essayli said. “It included step-by step instructions to build IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, and listed multiple targets across Orange County and Los Angeles. Carroll also made clear her desires. She said, ‘What we are doing will be considered a terrorist act.’”

The complaint details extensive operational planning, including wearing “BlacBloc” clothing, using burner phones, concealing hair, wearing gloves, paying cash for bomb materials, and even “placing a small pebble in a shoe to alter natural gait to obfuscate their identification.”

Prosecutors said the group intended to strike “property and facilities operated by two separate companies that are used or engaged in activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce.”

At a meeting on Dec. 7, Page allegedly warned that it was “100,000[%]” likely the FBI was monitoring them and urged members to take extra precautions. Carroll later said she had bought 13 PVC pipes and two five-pound bags of potassium nitrate online using a burner account, according to the complaint.

Authorities also said the suspects discussed follow-up attacks after New Year’s Eve, including targeting ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs in early 2026. Carroll allegedly said such attacks “would take some of them out and scare the rest.”

In another Signal exchange with the FBI’s source, Carroll reportedly admitted, “I kind of had this notebook where I wrote down multiple plans that never happened or got delayed / so it’s like / my terrorist diary / I have to get rid of that.”

The four defendants were scheduled to make their initial appearance in Los Angeles federal court Monday afternoon.

“We intend to file additional charges in the coming weeks as we finish reviewing the evidence,” Essayli said. “The defendants are all radical anti-government members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which, according to their own social media, is an anti-capitalist, anti-gun movement movement that calls for their associates to rise up and fight back against capitalism.”

Search warrants were executed nationwide as part of what officials described as a “complex and coordinated” domestic terror investigation.

Posters recovered from Page’s residence included slogans such as “Death to America, Long Live Turtle Island and Palestine” and “Death to ICE, Turtle Island Liberation Front,” Essayli said.

“This investigation crossed the entire country,” confirmed Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

According to the affidavit, the Los Angeles chapter of TILF has posted images online showing members waving Palestinian flags and holding signs reading “Death to ICE!!!” The group has described itself as dedicated to “Liberation through decolonization and tribal sovereignty.”

“Turtle Island” is an indigenous term for North America that has been adopted by Black Lives Matter and other far-left activist groups.

The FBI affidavit states that TILF content calls for “liberation of their lands and people, and decolonization and tribal sovereignty.”

“TILF also calls for the working class to rise up and fight back against capitalism,” the affidavit added. “Moreover, TILF advocates that liberalism and peaceful protest will be the downfall of those who believe it is enough, and that ‘direct action is the only way.’”

Essayli said President Trump’s Sept. 22 executive order targeting domestic terror groups such as Antifa helped authorities launch the investigation that ultimately stopped the attack.

“As the president made clear, recent attacks across the country have highlighted the grave threats posed by these far-left domestic terror groups,” Essayli said.

“These threats are sophisticated, organized campaigns of targeted intimidation, radicalization, threats, and violence designed to silence opposing speech, limit political activity and direct policy outcomes, and prevent the proper functioning of a democratic society.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that assessment in a statement posted Monday.

“After an intense investigation, the Department of Justice, working with our @FBI, prevented what would have been a massive and horrific terror plot in the Central District of California (Orange County and Los Angeles),” Bondi wrote.

“The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve,” she said. “The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.”

“This was an incredible effort by our US Attorneys’ Offices and the @FBI to ensure Americans can live in peace. We will continue to pursue these terror groups and bring them to justice.”