Federal authorities say they thwarted a credible terrorist threat led by a “far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government and anti-capitalist” group that was planning a series of bombings in California on New Year’s Eve.
Four members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, who were connected to the alleged plot, were arrested over the weekend, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X.
“The subjects self-identified as members of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an extremist group motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology,” he wrote.
The group was allegedly planning to target five separate locations across the Los Angeles area with homemade explosive devices in what Attorney General Pam Bondi said would have been “a massive and horrific terror plot.” They were also planning to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles, Bondi said.
They are apparent members of an offshoot of a pro-Palestinian group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front. An Instagram account associated with TILF’s founding chapter in Los Angeles calls for “liberation through decolonization and tribal sovereignty,” and had about 850 followers Monday morning.
“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. The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles,” Bondi claimed on X.
Four alleged members of the group were arrested last week in Lucerne Valley, a desert city east of Los Angeles, where authorities believe they were testing improved explosive devices, according to a federal complaint filed Saturday that was obtained by the Associated Press. A fifth person arrested by the FBI in New Orleans was allegedly planning a separate attack, according to Patel.
Each face charges including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device, court documents showed.
Evidence photos included in the court documents show a desert campsite with what investigators said were bomb making materials on plastic folding tables.
The suspects “all brought bomb-making components to the campsite, including various sizes of PVC pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, charcoal powder, sulfur powder, and material to be used as fuses, among others,” the complaint states.
“This was an incredible effort by our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the @FBI to ensure Americans can live in peace,” Bondi wrote. “We will continue to pursue these terror groups and bring them to justice.”
With reporting by the Associated Press.
