Four individuals have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to carry out coordinated bomb attacks on New Year’s Eve in Southern California, targeting multiple locations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and their vehicles.
According to authorities, the suspects were detained last week near Twentynine Palms, a city home to a U.S. Marine Corps base, where officials believe they tested improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as part of their preparations for the planned attacks.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that the suspects are associated with a “radical anti-government” faction and had devised a plan targeting five or more locations across Orange County and Los Angeles. The alleged plot included step-by-step instructions to build IEDs, listing multiple targets in both counties.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on social media that the group also intended to target ICE agents and their vehicles, alongside other sites.
A federal criminal complaint filed on Saturday revealed that the defendants belong to an offshoot of a pro-Palestinian organization called the Turtle Island Liberation Front. The group allegedly combined political motivation with anti-establishment views.
Photographic evidence submitted in court filings showed a desert campsite with bomb-making materials laid out, including PVC pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, charcoal powder, sulfur powder, and fuse components.
Federal authorities announced the arrests on Monday, confirming that all four suspects face charges of conspiracy and possession of a destructive device. The planned attacks were allegedly intended to begin on New Year’s Eve and involve multiple coordinated explosions across several areas of Southern California.
The investigation also implicated Lucerne Valley, a desert community east of Los Angeles, as a key location tied to the group’s bomb-testing activities.
