Federal authorities claim they have foiled what would have been a series of coordinated New Year’s Eve bombings targeting five different locations across Los Angeles.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrests of four alleged members of an extremist group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front, a pro-Palestinian anti-government organization, who investigators allege organized the thwarted terror plot.
Arrested were Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, who is 41. All four are charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to court filings accessed by Us Weekly.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said that additional charges are expected to be filed against Carroll, Page, Gaffield and Lai during a press conference on Monday, December 15.
“The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve,” Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged in a statement. “The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.”
The plot involved placing explosive devices in backpacks that would be dropped at five sites. The chosen sites were associated with two U.S. companies, officials said without naming them.
Authorities claim that the four were arrested on Friday, December 12, after they were caught in the desert just east of Los Angeles, where they had planned to test out improvised explosive devices.
Agents found the four in possession of “precursor chemicals” and alleged that they were also going to assemble bombs at the desert site. A surveillance plane captured the moment the Los Angeles FBI’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and agents from the FBI moved in on the group to arrest them.
The Turtle Island Liberation Front also is accused of discussing pipe bomb attacks on ICE agents, which they were planning for January and February 2026. Carroll is alleged to have said the group “would take some of them out and scare the rest of them.”
The FBI released a series of photos from a search of Carroll’s home on Monday, which showed posters and materials associated with the group, including one reading “DEATH TO ICE” and another reading “DEATH TO AMERICA, LONG LIVE TURTLE ISLAND & PALESTINE.”
According to the criminal complaint, Carroll allegedly told an FBI informant that she has a “notebook where I wrote down multiple plans that never happened … so it’s like my terrorist diary.”
In the court filings, Carrol said that she had a contact who could find unregistered guns for the group. She also said a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front is a former military service member who might be able to obtain weapon parts.
“The successful disruption of this plot is a powerful testament to the strength of our unified response,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, adding that work through allied agencies “prevented a potential tragedy and reaffirmed our shared commitment to safeguarding our communities.”
The FBI believes others could have been involved in organizing the terror plot and will continue to investigate the group.
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