The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the arrest of four individuals accused of plotting coordinated bomb attacks across Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve.
Those arrested—Audrey Ilene Carroll, Dante Garfield, Zachary Aaron Page, and Tina Lai—were taken into custody in the Los Angeles area. Federal authorities identified them as alleged members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an extremist group described as holding anti-government and anti-law-enforcement views.
According to a federal criminal complaint, the suspects planned to plant backpacks containing improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—described as complex pipe bombs—at multiple locations around the city. Prosecutors allege that three of the suspects were assigned specific buildings where the explosives were to be placed.
The complaint further states that the group developed detailed operational plans, including the use of burner phones, designated locations to dispose of clothing after the attacks, and streaming long movies at home to create alibis. Authorities say the documents also included step-by-step instructions for building pipe bombs.
In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspects “self-identified as members of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front,” motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-government, and anti-law-enforcement ideology, and were allegedly planning coordinated IED attacks at five locations across Los Angeles.
Investigators allege the group communicated using the encrypted messaging app Signal, where Carroll reportedly shared a list of required bomb-making components, chemicals, tools, and their prices. The group chat was allegedly titled “Order of the Black Lotus.”
On December 12, the suspects are accused of traveling to the Mojave Desert to assemble and test explosive devices. An FBI bomb technician who reviewed materials recovered from the campsite concluded that the components could be readily assembled into improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails.
Federal authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and additional details are expected as court proceedings continue.
