Federal authorities on Monday announced the arrests of four people accused of plotting coordinated bomb attacks across Southern California on New Year’s Eve, saying agents caught the group as they tested devices in the Mojave Desert late last week. The defendants — Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41 — face conspiracy and destructive-device counts in federal court.
The case, brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, alleges the four aligned with a fringe group and planned to detonate improvised explosive devices at multiple locations tied to U.S. companies, with discussions about later attacks on federal officers. Prosecutors said the FBI disrupted the plan before any fully assembled bombs existed. The arrests, coming two weeks before New Year’s Eve, prompted a wider review of holiday security plans around Los Angeles and neighboring counties. Officials said the plot relied on commercially available parts, off-the-shelf fuel and basic electronics, underscoring how quickly small teams can attempt to stage violence without access to military-grade materials.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday, agents tracked the suspects to public land near Lucerne Valley in San Bernardino County on Friday, Dec. 12, where surveillance teams observed them moving equipment and testing components on desert tables. Aerial video shown at a news conference depicted individuals carrying a large dark object from a vehicle to a makeshift work area. Investigators said they moved in once the group rehearsed wiring and ignition steps. At the site, agents recovered containers, adhesive, switches, fuel sources and hand tools; later searches at residences turned up additional parts, handwritten notes and a stun device reported stolen in an earlier incident. Officials emphasized that none of the devices at the scene was yet a working bomb.
Prosecutors allege the planning stretched across private chat groups and encrypted messaging, with purchases coordinated at different retailers to avoid drawing attention. A document described by authorities as an eight-page outline, codenamed “Operation Midnight Sun,” detailed target selection, basic bomb-making instructions, and what to do if questioned by police. The complaint says Carroll authored the outline and discussed follow-on attacks. Agents also cited messages in which members used pseudonyms, tracked stock numbers for components and set deadlines to “dry run” their approach in mid-December. The government’s account says a confidential source provided early visibility into the plan, allowing agents to match messages with store receipts and cell location data.
The FBI described the suspects as affiliated with an anti-capitalist, anti-government collective known as the Turtle Island Liberation Front or an offshoot of it. Investigators said the group’s rhetoric blended pro-Palestinian slogans with calls to target corporations and immigration officers but stressed that the First Amendment protects beliefs; the charges focus on alleged actions to build and deploy explosive devices. Officials said the intended New Year’s Eve blasts were to occur at several sites linked to two U.S. companies, hoping to stretch police resources on a crowded holiday night. Authorities did not name the businesses, citing ongoing security concerns and the possibility of copycat threats.
Initial appearances were held in Los Angeles federal court, where the defendants were advised of the charges and of their rights. Prosecutors asked that all four remain detained pending trial, arguing they pose a danger and a flight risk. Defense lawyers signaled they would seek release conditions and said their clients deny intending to harm anyone. A detention hearing is expected later this week. If convicted as charged, each defendant faces up to 15 years on the destructive-device count, with additional exposure on the conspiracy allegations. The court also ordered the parties to preserve all digital communications and physical evidence seized during the arrests and searches.
Officials credited the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles, with help from FBI field offices in Boston, Buffalo and New Orleans, for piecing together the timeline. Agents said the desert surveillance followed weeks of quieter steps: tracing online purchases, interviewing clerks, comparing store cameras to receipts, and mapping travel to open spaces suitable for tests without drawing crowds. Technicians from the FBI’s bomb squad documented the scene and rendered materials safe. Investigators said they will continue laboratory analysis on residues, wiring and adhesives to determine whether the components were consistent with the instructions in the planning memo.
The arrests landed amid a heavy holiday calendar across Southern California — New Year’s celebrations on city streets, theme parks and private venues that typically draw hundreds of thousands of people. Law enforcement leaders said there is no evidence of an additional active cell linked to the suspects, but they increased visible patrols, special-operations teams and intelligence briefings as a precaution. Local agencies in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties reviewed crowd-management plans and staging for bomb technicians. Transit agencies said they were coordinating with federal partners but reported no credible threats to rail or bus lines tied to the case.
Though the complaint sketches a detailed plan, many specifics remain unknown: the exact target list, how the group selected locations, how far they progressed beyond tests, and whether anyone else provided funding. Prosecutors said the investigation is continuing and more charges could follow if new evidence emerges from phone extractions and computer forensics. Agents said tips from the public and businesses helped fill gaps in the timeline, and they are reviewing whether the same accounts browsed more advanced schematics or attempted precursor purchases elsewhere. Authorities reiterated that, as interrupted, the alleged plan reached a rehearsal stage but did not produce an operational device.
In announcing the case, federal officials said the next steps include detention hearings, a likely preliminary hearing or indictment deadline in the coming weeks, and continued lab work on the seized components. Prosecutors must turn over initial discovery to the defense and will decide whether to seek a protective order for sensitive material. Separate security reviews at potential target sites are underway, according to officials briefed on the case. Any public release of surveillance stills or additional documents will depend on court approvals as the matter moves forward.
By Tuesday evening, the four defendants remained in federal custody. Investigators were cataloging materials from the desert campsite and residences while local police departments adjusted holiday staffing. The next scheduled milestone is the detention hearing expected later this week, after which a judge will decide whether the suspects remain jailed while the case proceeds.
Author note: Last updated December 16, 2025.