Photos of suspects in a terror plot are shown on a screen during a news conference on Monday.
(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
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Click here to listen to this article
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Federal authorities announced the arrests of four people on Monday accused of planning violence in Southern California.
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Officials said the people arrested were plotting an “organized, sophisticated and extremely violent” attack.
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The group had planned to bomb several companies on New Year’s Eve, authorities said.
A plan to attack several Los Angeles-area businesses on New Year’s Eve was detailed, dangerous and already in motion, authorities said.
But as four people allegedly tied to an anti-government group gathered last week in the Mojave Desert to make and test several test bombs, FBI officials f…
Photos of suspects in a terror plot are shown on a screen during a news conference on Monday.
(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
-
Click here to listen to this article
-
Federal authorities announced the arrests of four people on Monday accused of planning violence in Southern California.
-
Officials said the people arrested were plotting an “organized, sophisticated and extremely violent” attack.
-
The group had planned to bomb several companies on New Year’s Eve, authorities said.
A plan to attack several Los Angeles-area businesses on New Year’s Eve was detailed, dangerous and already in motion, authorities said.
But as four people allegedly tied to an anti-government group gathered last week in the Mojave Desert to make and test several test bombs, FBI officials foiled the terror plot.
**“**They had everything they needed to make an operational bomb at that location,” First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said at a news conference Monday morning. “We disrupted this terror plot before buildings were demolished or innocent people were killed.”
The four people were arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack that Essayli called “organized, sophisticated and extremely violent.” They were all tied to a radical faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front called Order of the Black Lotus, which FBI Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis called “a violent homegrown anti-government group.”
Officials wouldn’t say what buildings or businesses were planned to be targeted but Essayli said they were different “logistics centers” similar to ones that Amazon might have.
Officials said they believe that everyone involved in the planned attack has been arrested, though the investigation into the plot remains ongoing.
The four alleged conspirators, Audrey Carroll, Zachary Page, Dante Gaffield and Tina Lai, have been charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, Essayli said.
“The subjects arrested envisioned planting backpacks with improvised explosive devices to be detonated at multiple locations in Southern California, targeting U.S. companies,” Davis said.
The plans the FBI uncovered also included follow-up attacks after the bombings, which included plans to target ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs, Essayli said.
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Grace Toohey is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times covering breaking news for the Fast Break Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Sentinel and the Advocate in Baton Rouge. Toohey is a Maryland native and proud Terp.