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Four charged in alleged New Year’s Eve bombing plot in California, FBI says
The FBI has charged four members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front with conspiracy in a New Year’s Eve bombing plot.
Four people have been charged in connection with an alleged New Year’s Eve bombing plot targeting multiple locations across Southern California, the FBI said, according to USA Today. The arrests occurred on Friday local time, in the Mojave Desert east of Los Angeles while the suspects were allegedly preparing for the attack, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli also confirmed at a news conference, according to AP.
Federal prosecutors identified the defendants as Audrey Carroll, Zachary Page, Dante Gaffield and Tina Lai, who authorities described as members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an anti-capitalist and anti-government group.
Authorities said the four were taken into custody last week in Lucerne Valley, near Twentynine Palms, California, a desert area close to a Marine Corps base. All four are from the Los Angeles area.
Investigators said the arrests followed surveillance at a desert campsite where the group allegedly brought bomb-making materials and began assembling explosive devices under a tent, according to court documents cited in the reports.
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Handwritten plan outlined alleged attacks
According to the criminal complaint, a handwritten document titled “Operation Midnight Sun” detailed the alleged plot. Prosecutors said the plan involved placing backpacks containing improvised explosive devices at five locations, to be detonated simultaneously at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
“These bombs were to blow up at the same time at midnight this New Year’s Eve,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis said during a news conference, according to ABC7.
Court documents allege the devices were intended to be “complex pipe bombs,” and included instructions on how to manufacture them and how to avoid leaving evidence that could be traced back to those involved.
Investigators said materials recovered at the campsite included PVC pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur powder and fuse components, according to the complaint.
Charges filed, more possible
The four defendants are charged in federal court with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to charging documents reviewed by USA Today.
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said additional charges are expected as investigators continue reviewing the evidence.
Authorities also said they believe they have arrested all individuals directly involved in the alleged plot.
During searches of the suspects’ homes, investigators said they recovered posters and materials associated with TILF, including signs reading “Death to ICE” and “Death to America, Long Live Turtle Island & Palestine,” according to authorities cited in the reports.
