FBI Thwarts Alleged New Year's Eve Bomb Plot by Far-Left Extremist Group in Southern California

Booking Photos by Dept of Justice

Federal authorities announced today the disruption of a major domestic terrorism plot, arresting four alleged members of the far-left extremist group Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF) who were accused of planning coordinated bombings across Southern California on New Year's Eve. The suspects, described as part of an anti-capitalist, anti-government, and pro-Palestinian organization, were apprehended last Friday in the Mojave Desert while allegedly assembling and testing explosive devices.

The defendants:

• Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30, of South Los Angeles (also known as "Asiginaak");

• Zachary Aaron Page, 32, of Torrance (aka "AK");

• Dante Gaffield, 24, of South Los Angeles (aka "Nomad"); and

• Tina Lai, 41, of Glendale (aka "Kickwhere")

These individuals face federal charges including conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Additional charges are expected as the investigation continues. They made their initial court appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed today, the group planned to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at multiple locations in Los Angeles and Orange County, targeting logistics centers of major U.S. companies described as "Amazon-type" facilities. The attacks were set to occur simultaneously at midnight on New Year's Eve, with future phases allegedly involving assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles. Materials recovered included PVC pipes, potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur powder, fuses, and propaganda posters bearing slogans like "Death to America," "Death to ICE," "Free Palestine," and "America is Fascist."

Carroll, identified as a key planner, authored an eight-page handwritten manifesto titled "Operation Midnight Sun," which detailed instructions for building IEDs, conducting surveillance, and evading detection. The suspects coordinated via in-person meetings and encrypted messaging apps, with evidence showing discussions of "taking out" ICE personnel to "scare the rest." On December 12, the group traveled to a remote campsite near Twentynine Palms and Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert to assemble and test the bombs, where FBI agents intervened. Authorities described the plot as a "credible, imminent terrorist threat" that could have caused significant casualties and infrastructure damage.

The FBI's investigation involved a combination of human intelligence, surveillance, and monitoring of communications. A confidential human source received the "Operation Midnight Sun" document from Carroll in November 2025, and agents used aerial and ground surveillance to track the group's activities in the desert. The suspects communicated via a Signal group chat named "Order of the Black Lotus," and searches of their homes yielded additional evidence, including TILF posters.

Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the joint effort by the Department of Justice, FBI, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, stating, "This was an incredible effort to ensure Americans can live in peace. We will continue to pursue these terror groups and bring them to justice." FBI Director Kash Patel echoed this, noting the arrests prevented "a domestic terrorist attack from occurring this New Year's Eve in Southern California." U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli emphasized a "zero tolerance" policy for domestic terrorism.

The Turtle Island Liberation Front, which refers to North America as "Turtle Island" in Indigenous terminology, is characterized as a radical offshoot of pro-Palestinian activism with anti-imperialist and decolonial ideologies. The group's Los Angeles chapter maintains a social media presence promoting the liberation of Palestine, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and the end of U.S. imperialism, often blending Maoist and Frantz Fanon-inspired rhetoric with calls for Indigenous sovereignty. While TILF's history appears limited, with online activity emerging in mid-2025, the group has been tied to pamphlet distribution, ideological debates, and critiques of capitalism and law enforcement. A fifth suspect was arrested in New Orleans for a related but separate plot, indicating potential broader networks.

This incident highlights ongoing concerns about domestic extremism from leftist organizations. This incident is part of a long string of left wing terror.

• June 14, 2017: Congressional Baseball Practice Shooting (Alexandria, VA) James Hodgkinson, a left-wing activist and Bernie Sanders supporter opposed to Republicans and President Trump, opened fire on Republican lawmakers during a baseball practice. He wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (critically), a Capitol Police officer, a congressional aide, and a lobbyist. Hodgkinson was killed by police. Motive: Anti-Republican political hatred. Casualties: 4 wounded, 1 perpetrator killed.

• August 29, 2020: Shooting of Aaron Danielson (Portland, OR) Michael Reinoehl, an antifa supporter and self-described anti-fascist, fatally shot Aaron "Jay" Danielson, a member of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, during clashes between left- and right-wing protesters amid the George Floyd protests. Reinoehl claimed self-defense but was later killed by police during an arrest attempt. Casualties: 1 fatality.

• December 4, 2024: Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (New York City, NY) Luigi (Paul) Mangione, a 26-year-old with anti-corporate and anti-health insurance sentiments (evident from his diary and manifesto criticizing the industry as "parasites" and justifying violence against executives), shot and killed Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel. Mangione's writings revealed motives tied to frustration with healthcare costs and corporate greed, aligning with left-wing anti-capitalist ideologies. He was arrested days later in Pennsylvania. Casualties: 1 fatality.

• January 28, 2025: Thwarted Plot Against U.S. Officials (Washington, D.C.) Riley Jane English, a 24-year-old from Massachusetts with anti-government motives, was arrested on the National Mall carrying a folding knife, two Molotov cocktails, and a lighter. She confessed to planning assassinations of senior officials (initially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, then House Speaker Mike Johnson and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent) and an attack on the conservative Heritage Foundation. Casualties: None (thwarted).

• March 30, 2025: Arson at Republican Party Headquarters (Albuquerque, NM) An unknown assailant set fire to the entrance of the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters late at night, with graffiti reading “ICE = KKK” spray-painted nearby, indicating anti-ICE and anti-right-wing motives. Casualties: None (property damage).

• July 4, 2025: Attack on ICE Detention Facility (Alvarado, TX) A group of approximately a dozen individuals dressed in black bloc attire (associated with antifa/anarchist tactics) attacked the Prairieland Detention Facility by detonating fireworks, spray-painting anti-ICE graffiti, and firing 20-30 live rounds at ICE officers and a responding police officer (wounding one in the neck). Fourteen suspects were apprehended. Casualties: 1 police officer wounded.

• September 10, 2025: Assassination of Charlie Kirk (Utah College Campus) Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on a Utah college campus in an act described as political violence. Details on the perpetrator are emerging, but the incident has been linked to rising left-wing extremism in discussions of 2025 trends, with partisans blaming extreme rhetoric. It sparked arrests for online threats and highlighted America's political violence spiral. Casualties: 1 fatality.

• December 12, 2025: Thwarted New Year's Eve Bomb Plot (Southern California) Four members of the far-left Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an anti-capitalist, pro-Palestinian, and anti-imperialist group, were arrested while testing explosives in the Mojave Desert. They planned backpack bombings at logistics centers and ICE targets, with slogans like "Death to America" and "Death to ICE." A fifth suspect was arrested in New Orleans for a related plot. Casualties: None (thwarted).

• December 2025: Shooting of Ella Cook (Brown University, RI) Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore and campus Republican leader, was killed in a shooting. While the perpetrator's full motives are under investigation, the incident has been cited in discussions of rising attacks on conservatives, potentially linked to left-wing extremism amid 2025 trends. Casualties: 1 fatality.

If we factor in mass shootings carried out by gay/trans perpetrators the list grows:

• Randy Stair (June 8, 2017, Eaton Township, PA): Transgender woman who shot and killed three coworkers at a Weis Markets supermarket before suicide. Left manifestos expressing hatred and admiration for other shooters. Casualties: 3 killed, perpetrator suicide.

• Snochia Moseley (September 20, 2018, Aberdeen, MD): Transgender woman (identified as female but with gender dysphoria reports) who killed three and wounded three at a Rite Aid distribution center before suicide. Motive: Workplace dispute. Casualties: 3 killed, 3 wounded, perpetrator suicide.

• Alec McKinney (Maya McKinney) (May 7, 2019, Highlands Ranch, CO): Transgender man (with an accomplice) who killed one student and wounded eight at STEM School. Pleaded guilty; sentenced to life. Motive: Revenge for bullying. Casualties: 1 killed, 8 wounded.

• Audrey Hale (March 27, 2023, Nashville, TN): Transgender man who killed six (three children, three adults) at Covenant School before being killed by police. Manifesto cited resentment toward the school and gender issues. Casualties: 6 killed, perpetrator killed.

• Anderson Lee Aldrich (November 19, 2022, Colorado Springs, CO): Nonbinary individual who killed five and wounded 19 at Club Q, a LGBTQ+ nightclub. Identified as nonbinary post-arrest (disputed as a tactic). Pleaded guilty; sentenced to life. Motive: Anti-LGBTQ+ hate (despite identity). Casualties: 5 killed, 19 wounded.

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