Four members of an anti-capitalist and anti-government group calling for violence against US officials have been arrested for planning to attack two US companies with improvised explosive devices this New Year’s Eve.
“The Turtle Island Freedom Front – a far-left, pro-Palestinian, anti-government and anti-capitalist group – was preparing to carry out a series of bombings against multiple targets in California starting on New Year’s Eve. The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This was an incredible effort by our US Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI to ensure that Americans can live in peace. We will continue to pursue these terrorist groups and bring them to justice.”
“The charges made public today show that the FBI and our partners foiled a dangerous New Year’s Eve plot to simultaneously target two US companies with multiple explosive devices,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The defendants allegedly obtained materials to build the devices, planned to test them in the Mojave Desert, and used encrypted communications to avoid detection, but thanks to the FBI and our partners, these efforts were thwarted. The FBI is committed to keeping our homeland safe and bringing those who attempt acts of violence to justice.”
“These arrests signal the disruption of a dangerous New Year’s Eve plot to spread fear and terror across Southern California and the United States, as well as future attacks targeting federal officers. This country reserves the right to hold extreme views about its past, present and future, but violence is an unquestionable and enforceable line,” said General Asenniyberg. “The Homeland Security Branch is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who cross this line.”
“Working together, federal and local law enforcement agencies foiled a domestic terrorist attack this New Year’s Eve in Southern California,” said Bill Essayley, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. “Far-left anti-government extremist groups seeking to destroy the American way of life will never win and will always face the full force of the law.”
The following defendants were arrested Friday in the Mojave Desert and charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device:
- Audrey Illine Carroll, 30, also known as Asiginaak, of South Los Angeles;
- Zachary Aaron Page, 32, also known as AK, of Torrance;
- Dante Gaffield, 24, also known as Nomad, of South Los Angeles; and
- Tina Lai, 41, also known as Kickhere, of Glendale.
The defendants will make initial appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed in the complaint, Carroll is a member of the Turtle Island Freedom Front (TILF), which is dedicated to “liberation through decolonization and tribal sovereignty” and working class uprisings and struggles against capitalism, according to its social media page.
“Turtle Island” is a term used by some Native Americans to describe the North American continent, and the group has promoted an anti-capitalist, anti-government sentiment with social media posts advocating violence against U.S. officials.
In late November 2025, Carroll provided the conspirators with an eight-page handwritten document titled Operation Midnight Sun, which described the bombing. The plan called for the simultaneous detonation of backpack bombs at five or more locations in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area at midnight this New Year’s Eve, targeting two US companies.
The plan stated that the “ieds” (improvised explosive devices) would be “sophisticated pipe bombs,” contained instructions on how to manufacture the bombs, and included instructions to ensure that evidence that could be linked to the conspirators was not left behind. As the conspirators planned their attack, Carroll admitted that what they were planning to do “would be considered an act of terrorism.”
Carroll and TILF member Page recruited other conspirators, including Gaffield and Lai. The conspirators took numerous steps to carry out the bombing plan, including obtaining bomb-making materials and traveling to a remote location in the Mojave Desert to build and detonate test bombs on December 12.
While in the desert, the co-conspirators took steps to begin building the devices, including unloading bomb-making materials from their vehicles and beginning to stack the materials on a table. They also set up a tent to shade the bomb materials from the sun, wiped the inside of one of the tubes used for the bombs, and Carroll discussed grinding a precursor for use in explosive powder.
FBI agents then intervened and arrested the defendants before they could complete the assembly of a functional bomb.
If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy and up to 10 years in federal prison for possession of an unregistered destructive device. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the matter. Significant assistance was provided by the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Palm Springs Police Department. FBI field offices in Boston, Buffalo, and New Orleans are also assisting.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jan W. Yanniello, Amanda B. Elbogen and Daniel H. Weiner for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Patrick Cashman, an attorney with the Department of Homeland Security’s Counterterrorism Division.
A criminal complaint is just an allegation. All accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
