FBI Foils Alleged New Year's Eve Bombing Plot in Southern California Tied to Extremist Group

Los Angeles, December 15, 2025 — Federal authorities announced Monday that they have disrupted a credible terrorist threat, arresting four individuals accused of plotting coordinated bombings across Los Angeles and Orange County on New Year's Eve.

The suspects — Audrey Ilene Carroll, Dante Garfield, Zachary Aaron Page, and Tina Lai — are alleged members of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an extremist group described by officials as motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, anti-government, and anti-capitalist ideology.

According to a federal criminal complaint, the group was planning to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including complex pipe bombs, at five locations targeting corporate facilities in the region as part of an operation dubbed "Operation Midnight Sun." One suspect, Carroll, allegedly presented an eight-page handwritten document outlining the plot to a confidential source in November.

The arrests occurred last week in Lucerne Valley, a remote desert area east of Los Angeles, where the suspects were reportedly preparing to construct and test explosive devices at a campsite. Investigators recovered bomb-making materials, including PVC pipes, potassium nitrate, sulfur powder, charcoal, and fuse components, scattered across tables at the site.

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the operation in a statement, saying the bureau "disrupted a credible, imminent terrorist threat" and that the work of agents "undoubtedly saved countless lives." Attorney General Pam Bondi described the plot as "massive and horrific," noting that the group also discussed future attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles using pipe bombs."Turtle Island" refers to a term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe North America, and the group's social media presence promotes "liberation through decolonization" while calling for the independence of Palestine, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, alongside opposition to what it terms "American imperialism."

The four suspects face charges including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device. A fifth individual, believed linked to the same radical subgroup, was arrested separately in New Orleans for allegedly planning a related violent attack.

The Justice Department emphasized that the swift action by the FBI and partnering agencies prevented potential devastation during one of the busiest nights of the year in Southern California. Investigations are ongoing. 17GEN4