FBI Announces Arrest of 4 People in Plot to Detonate Bombs in Los Angeles

A potential tragedy was averted late last week when the FBI arrested four people in California for making plans to detonate pipe bombs on New Year's Eve in the Los Angeles area. Here is the latest news on this near miss.

Four Arrested in Terror Plot to Detonate Bombs in Los Angeles

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that it had arrested four people in connection with plans to set off pipe bombs around Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. The DOJ confirmed that the four people arrested are Audrey Ilene Carroll, Dante Garfield, Zachary Aaron Page, and Tina Lai. All four are members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), a group that the DOJ and FBI say harbors anti-government ideology.

The official federal court complaint details that three members were planning to put backpacks loaded with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at different points along pre-determined buildings. The IEDs were to be "complex pipe bombs."

The formal plan outlined the security precautions that the group's members should exercise when executing the plot. This included using burner phones, specific locations set up to change clothes, and streaming long movies at home to use as an alibi. The DOJ also said that the plans provided step-by-step details about how to make a pipe bomb.

According to a statement posted on X by FBI Director Kash Patel, the suspects self-identified as members of the extremist group TILF. Patel said that TILF is known for its "pro-Palestinian, anti-law enforcement, and anti-government ideology." The leader of the FBI went on to detail that the alleged coordinated IED bombings were planned for five different locations across the Los Angeles metro area on New Year's Eve.

Patel also confirmed that the suspects were using the Signal encrypted messaging platform when discussing their plans. These plans also listed the various components, tools, and chemicals that were needed to be required to make the pipe bombs. The plans were so specific that they also listed prices of all of the necessary components. The DOJ said that the Signal group chat went by the name of "Order of the Black Lotus."

The group reportedly went to the Mojave Desert on December 12 to make and test the IEDs. Footage taken by a surveillance plane led FBI agents to the scene. The FBI intervened before the suspects could finish making any bombs.

An FBI Bomb Technician reviewed the materials found at the desert campsite, determining that the components could have been used to build the IEDs. The FBI report also found the components could have also been used to make Molotov cocktail devices.

More Details About the Suspects and Their Alleged Plans

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli praised the efforts of the Trump administration to "extinguish" the terror activity of the "far-left." Essayli said during a media conference that the case was yet another reminder about what he said were the "dangers that radicalized Antifa-like groups pose to people's public safety and the rule of law." It should be noted that the formal complaint does not identify Antifa.

Essayli also said that the group was targeting American companies with the IED. However, he did not detail the names of the companies that were on the hit list. The bombs were set to blow up at the same time on New Year’s Eve.

The complaint also signaled that the group was only intending to send a message. For instance, the four suspects did not want to kill people. The directions indicated that they would try to warn those in the area of the bomb to evacuate.

All four of the defendants hail from the Los Angeles area. They were formally charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Essayli said that additional charges could be filed in the near future.

A fifth person was arrested in Louisiana in connection with the plot. According to the FBI, Micah James Legnon was charged with one count of making threats in interstate commerce. Legnon also appears to be associated with the TILF. The former U.S Marine was stopped by law enforcement officials on Friday on a highway in Louisiana. Court papers detail that Legnon was in possession of an assault rifle, pistol, gas canister, and body armor in his vehicle.

Lastly, the report said that Carroll and Page discussed plans to target federal ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs after the planned New Year's Eve bombings.

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