Federal authorities arrested four alleged members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, an extremist group, suspected of plotting coordinated New Year's Eve bombing attacks across Southern California, targeting multiple locations and ICE agents.
Federal authorities announced the arrests of four alleged members of an extremist group who are suspected of planning coordinated bombing attacks on New Year’s Eve across Southern California. The suspects were arrested last week in Lucerne Valley, a desert city east of Los Angeles, where they were suspected of preparing to test improvised explosive devices ahead of the planned bombings. They are members of an offshoot of a pro-Palestinian group dubbed the Turtle Island Liberation Front, described by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli as a “radical anti-government” group. Each faces charges including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device. The group is alleged to have been plotting to set off a series of bombings at multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve, and also planned to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles. Officials said the four suspects were arrested near the desert city of Twentynine Palms, California, home to a Marine Corps base. All four are from the Los Angeles area, and one suspect reportedly created a detailed plan to bomb five or more locations across Southern California on New Year’s Eve. This plan included step-by-step instructions to build IEDs and listed multiple targets across Orange County and Los Angeles. Evidence photos included in court documents show a desert campsite with bomb-making materials strewn across plastic folding tables, including various sizes of PVC pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, charcoal powder, sulfur powder, and material to be used as fuses.
