The FBI has thwarted a New Year’s Eve bombing plot in Southern California, arresting four members of a “far-left” militant group.
FBI agents arrested 30-year-old Audrey Carroll, 24-year-old Dante Garfield, 41-year-old Tina Lai, and 32-year-old Zachary Page in California’s Mojave Desert on December 12.
They were allegedly “radical, anti-government members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front,” plotting to bomb five or more corporate logistics centers on New Year’s Eve.
Asst. Attorney General for Central California Bill Essayli announced the bust in a press conference on December 15.
“The defendants and their co-conspirators detailed a coordinated plot to bomb multiple U.S. companies on New Year’s Eve. Thankfully, that plot has now been foiled,” Essayli said. “If anyone does not believe that members of these groups are organized, sophisticated, and extremely violent, let me tell you about the plot.”
The suspects, all from the Los Angeles area, are facing charges for conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to Essayli. He said officials are planning to file more charges in the coming weeks.
“The defendants are all radical anti-government members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which, according to their own social media, is an anti-capitalist, anti-government movement that calls for their associates to rise up and fight back against capitalism,” Essayli said.
The Plot
Carroll was allegedly a leader of the group, who organized an “even more radical faction” – “Order of the Black Lotus.” Each of the suspects was a member of this group.
The suspects communicated through the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to the federal complaint. Carroll allegedly described the Black Lotus as “our group for everything radical.”
Carroll allegedly created an “explicit” and “detailed bombing plot” to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to attack five or more corporate locations across Orange County and Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, Page reportedly led the effort to obtain and build the bombs, and to recruit others.
“What we’re doing will be considered a terrorist act,” Carroll allegedly wrote to other members of the group, per the complaint. She reportedly wrote another member, saying she kept a “terrorist diary” with her plans.
When Lai asked if any people would be at the bombing targets, Carroll said no, but said if they saw anyone like a security guard, they would warn them, according to the complaint.
The group also allegedly planned to begin targeting ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs beginning in January or February 2026, with Carroll saying it “would take some of them out and scare the rest of them.”
FBI agents with the Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested the suspects near Twentynine Palms – north of Palm Springs, according to FBI-Los Angeles Asst. Director Akil Davis.
“These bombs were to blow up at the same time, on midnight this New Year’s Eve,” Davis said.
The Bust
The suspects allegedly traveled to a “remote campsite” in the Mojave Desert on December 12 to test their bombs, according to Essayli.
“They began unloading their bomb-making materials to assemble and test the bombs,” he said.
“They had everything they needed to make an operational bomb at that location, and they were subsequently arrested by the FBI before they could build a functional explosive device.”
The suspects had unloaded bomb-making materials like precursors, PVC pipes, and fuses from their cars, and were beginning to assemble them on a table, according to the complaint.
They began setting up a tent to shade the bombs from the sun when the FBI showed up and arrested the suspects.
Soon after, the FBI executed “multiple search warrants” at the defendant’s homes and other locations across America.
FBI agents arrested a fifth suspect in Louisiana – also a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front’s “Order of the Black Lotus,” FBI Director Kash Patel announced December 15. He was planning a “separate violent attack.”
“The person arrested in Louisiana is not directly tied to this incident, but he is a member of his group,” Essayli said in the conference. “When they executed the search warrant out there, he posed a great threat to the agency – he threatened the agents.”
Seeking Motives
The Turtle Island Liberation Front explicitly called on radicals to go beyond peaceful protest, urging “direct action” and saying “revolution is the only way,” according to the complaint.
“Stop ‘peaceful protest’ ing. Rise up, fight back,” Carroll allegedly posted to the group’s social media. “We are not outnumbered, they are. Organize and be ready.”
The suspects reportedly targeted “property and facilities operated by two separate companies,” conducting business regarding “interstate and foreign commerce.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents disrupted a “credible, imminent terrorist threat.” He applauded investigators’ work – “Their work undoubtedly saved countless lives.”
Over the weekend, the @FBI disrupted a credible, imminent terrorist threat and arrested FOUR individuals connected to the Los Angeles area.
The subjects self-identified as members of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an extremist group motivated by… pic.twitter.com/81NfM1Mvwi
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 15, 2025
The DOJ prevented a “massive and horrific terror plot” in California, Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X.
After an intense investigation, the Department of Justice, working with our @FBI, prevented what would have been a massive and horrific terror plot in the Central District of California (Orange County and Los Angeles).
The Turtle Island Liberation Front—a far-left,…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 15, 2025
“We will continue to pursue these groups and bring them to justice,” stated Bondi.
