🔗 Share this article

US authorities declared on Monday that they had managed to foil a detailed plot to set off explosive devices at multiple facilities run by two corporate businesses on New Year's Eve in the southern part of the state. The operation came after the arrest of people part of an extremist faction advocating for anti-capitalist and anti-government views.

Suspects Detained During Desert Practice

Four individuals were arrested last Friday in the Mojave Desert situated east of Los Angeles at the time they were according to officials running through their proposed operation. Prosecutors presented overhead monitoring footage to journalists, which captured the suspects moving a large obscure item to a surface. Officials noted that the arrests occurred before the individuals could put together a working IED.

Identities of the Suspects Disclosed

Based on the public legal filing, the four suspects named are Carroll, aged 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32 years old; 24-year-old Dante Gaffield; and Tina Lai, who is 41. The group are reportedly from the LA vicinity.

Alleged Motivation and Group Affiliations

While prosecutors did not clearly outline a rationale, they said the group are adherents of a splinter group known as the Turtle Island Liberation Front. The group reportedly calls for "workers to rise up and combat against corporate power," according to the court papers.

Each suspect is charged with include conspiracy to commit a crime and having a destructive device. Prosecutors stated that additional charges are likely in the coming weeks.

Details of the Reported "Operation Midnight Sun"

Prosecutors stated that one of the accused had devised a detailed blueprint last month to target multiple commercial sites across Southern California on New Year's Eve. The intended sites were characterized as "similar to Amazon" fulfillment warehouses.

"This scheme was explicit," the attorney said. "It contained a precise guide to construct explosive devices … and named numerous sites across Orange county and Los Angeles."

Based on the probe and legal filings, the scheme involved placing rucksacks packed with intricate explosive devices that were scheduled to be detonated at the same time at midnight on New Year's Eve at five places. New Year's Eve was seen as an ideal time as the plan stated "fireworks will be going off at this time so explosions will be less likely to be detected."

An eight-page longhand plan, titled "OPERATION MIDNIGHT SUN," suggested that additional locations could be added. The locations were identified as premises and facilities run by two separate companies connected with activities involving national and international trade.

Additional Plans and Evidence Found

The investigation also indicated that two people in the faction had planned subsequent operations targeting immigration enforcement personnel and vehicles with pipe bombs in 2026. One suspect reportedly said that such actions "would kill some and frighten the rest of them."

Such discussions were allegedly talked over both at an physical meeting in Los Angeles and through an secure digital platform.

Photos contained in the court documents show a desert campsite with what authorities described as bomb-making materials laid out on plastic folding tables.

The complaint states that the suspects "carried explosive materials to the site, among them assorted sizes of plastic pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal briquettes, powdered charcoal, powdered sulfur, and components to be used as fuses, among others."

The plan also had directions on how to manufacture the bombs and how to avoid leaving forensic clues that could be traced back to the group. The suspects had recently purchased chemical ingredients and other materials, via purchases from major websites.

Arrest and Aftermath

The FBI took action last week when the individuals were practicing the operation in the isolated region near a California town. "They had everything they required to make an operational bomb at that place," the prosecutor said.

As part of executed raids, investigators allegedly located posters for the Turtle Island Liberation Front at one suspect's home that demanded "Down with America", and "Eliminate ICE". At another accused's home, police located a version of the elaborate attack blueprint.

Those arrested were taken into custody without a struggle. They were scheduled to face a judge in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.