FBI Arrests 4 Members of Radical Pro-Palestinian Extremist Group, Foiling Coordinated New Year’s Eve Bomb Plot in Southern California

Federal agents thwarted a coordinated bombing plot aimed at logistics hubs in Southern California, arresting four suspects on Friday, December 12, 2025, in the Mojave Desert as they prepared explosive devices for simultaneous detonation. The operation averted what Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized as a “massive and horrific terror plot,” disrupting plans that would have endangered workers amid holiday chaos and exposed a radical network’s shift from online rhetoric to violent action.

Four Suspects Charged

Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41, all from the Los Angeles area, face federal charges of conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Authorities arrested them without incident on December 12, 2025, in San Bernardino County near Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli indicated more charges will follow as the probe deepens. The group belonged to the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an anti-capitalist, anti-government faction with pro-Palestinian leanings that shuns peaceful protest for direct action.

Operation Midnight Sun Unveiled

Carroll created an eight-page handwritten blueprint called “Operation Midnight Sun” in November 2025, detailing simultaneous attacks on at least five logistics sites in Southern California and Orange County. The plan set midnight on New Year’s Eve for detonations, banking on fireworks to conceal the blasts. It laid out step-by-step bomb assembly instructions and evasion tactics to dodge detection. Primary targets were two “Amazon-type” facilities identified as logistics centers, chosen to maximize economic disruption and potential casualties. Backpack explosives would strike at once, configured as complex pipe bombs aiming for synchronized detonation.

Bomb Materials and Assembly Halted

At a remote desert campsite, agents seized PVC pipes in various sizes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, charcoal powder, sulfur, fuses, and other components. Aerial surveillance footage captured the suspects unloading supplies from vehicles and working under a tent. Intervention came before any viable device was completed. Carroll and Page led procurement and construction, sourcing precursors through various channels. They recruited via Signal encrypted messaging, forming “Order of the Black Lotus,” a radical faction using aliases—”Asiginaak” for Carroll, “AK” for Page, “Nomad” for Gaffield, and “Kickwhere” for Lai.

Ideology and Broader Ambitions

TILF’s activity pushed violence against U.S. officials, with materials calling for “Death to America” and “Long Live Palestine.” Carroll’s home yielded posters echoing “Death to ICE” and “Death to America.” Online posts stoked fury over Gaza, policing, and U.S. support for Israel, evolving into plot coordination. The cell eyed pipe bombs targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles, with Carroll noting it would “take some of them out and scare the rest.” A fifth TILF-linked individual arrested in New Orleans points to multi-state reach, prompting scrutiny of connections and leadership.

Law Enforcement Response and Implications

FBI surveillance, a confidential source, and aerial footage tracked the group from Los Angeles meetings to the desert site. Agents moved when assembly loomed imminent. Prosecutors warn the plot risked many lives at staffed warehouses. Conviction could mean decades in prison, though defenses may contest surveillance and digital evidence. The case underscores small-cell threats, online radicalization speed, and detection challenges via monitoring and confidential sources.