Federal authorities announced Monday that they thwarted a New Year's Eve bombing plot in Southern California targeting multiple sites of two U.S. companies, arresting members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group. The four suspects—Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41, all from the Los Angeles area—were arrested Friday in the Mojave Desert east of Los Angeles while rehearsing the attack, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. Officials showed aerial surveillance footage of the suspects moving a large black object to a table in the desert and noted they were apprehended before assembling a functional explosive device.

The suspects are affiliated with an offshoot of a pro-Palestinian group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which advocates for working-class uprisings against capitalism, according to the criminal complaint. Charges include conspiracy and possession of a destructive device, with additional charges expected.

Authorities said Carroll had created a detailed plan last month to bomb five or more business locations, described as Amazon-style logistical centers, on New Year's Eve. The handwritten eight-page plan, titled OPERATION MIDNIGHT SUN, outlined step-by-step instructions for building pipe bombs and listed multiple targets across Orange County and Los Angeles. The plan aimed to detonate the bombs simultaneously at midnight, coinciding with fireworks to avoid detection. It also allowed for adding more locations and mentioned future attacks on ICE agents and vehicles in 2026.

The plot was coordinated both in person in Los Angeles and via encrypted messaging. Court documents included photos of a desert campsite with bomb-making materials—PVC pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur, fuses, and other components—brought by all four suspects. Instructions included manufacturing the devices and avoiding leaving evidence, with some materials recently purchased online.

The FBI intervened as the suspects rehearsed the attack near Twentynine Palms, California. Search warrants executed at Carroll’s and Page’s homes uncovered related materials, including posters advocating “Death to America” and “Death to ICE” and a copy of the detailed bomb plan. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell highlighted that despite differing views on immigration enforcement, federal and local authorities work together to protect residents. The suspects were arrested without incident and were scheduled to appear in court in Los Angeles Monday afternoon.