Terrorists plotted to detonate weapons of mass destruction across LA, feds say in bombshell new charges
ArchiveTwo suspects in a far-left “anti-capitalist, anti-government” extremist group known as the “Turtle Island Liberation Front” were charged Tuesday with plotting to detonate weapons of mass destruction in and around Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve in a bombshell grand jury indictment.
The FBI — with the help of a confidential informant and undercover agent — disrupted the planned attack, which was designed to “completely pulverize” tech companies and logistics firms around LA before targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with a series of shootings and pipe-bomb explosions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Zachary Aaron Page, a 32-year-old trans woman, and Audrey Illeene Carroll, a 30-year-old who goes by the nickname “Black Moon,” were both charged with one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, prosecutors said.
In total, four suspects — Page, Caroll, Dante “Nomad” James Anthony-Gaffield, 24, and Tina “Kickwhere” Lai, 41 — were arrested Dec. 12 in the Mojave Desert where they were attempting to test the bombs, authorities said. They each face charges related to the terrorist plot and all are being held without bail. Page was denied a request to transfer to a women’s prison in a hearing last week.
“The charges a federal grand jury returned today reflect the seriousness of the conduct: a planned terrorist attack on American soil on New Year’s Eve,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. “If convicted, this group of self-professed left-wing radicals will face decades in federal prison.”
Micah James Legnon, a 29-year-old transgender Marine vet, was also arrested in Louisiana in connection with the alleged plot.
The group used an encrypted messaging group chat called the “Order of the Black Lotus,” and Carroll appears to have taken a lead role in organizing the group, penning multiple eight-page, handwritten manifestos called “Operation Midnight Sun,” according to court records. The plot included details on intended targets, instructions on how to acquire materials and manufacture the bombs, and guidance on how to avoid leaving evidence that could be traced back to the co-conspirators.
Carroll allegedly advised the other suspects to dump accelerants around the improvised explosive devices “to do as much damage as possible.”
At an in-person meeting on Dec. 7, the suspects laid out the New Year’s Eve bombing plot in blunt, tactical terms, according to the indictment. Page warned the group to keep everything “as clean as possible” because the FBI would be “100,000%” on them, urging measures like covering shoes with socks to avoid footprints and burning the shoes after the operation.
Carroll allegedly said, “What we’re about to do, that’s gonna, uh, be like a Luigi level situation,” apparently referencing Luigi Mangione, who is on trial for allegedly executing a healthcare executive before setting off a manhunt.
The suspects discussed buying bomb components online and in stores, including potassium nitrate and electronics, and testing different devices to see which could destroy their assigned buildings, according to the indictment. They agreed to add members to the “Black Lotus” group chat — described as a radical, “super underground” operation by Page — and talked openly about follow-up attacks on ICE.
Gaffield declared that after seeing the first test explosion in the desert, he’d say: “Goodbye Israel.”
On Dec. 8, Lai allegedly told the group via encrypted messaging that she’d drive to the desert for bomb testing, bring PVC pipe, and use her rooftop cargo box to haul gear. She sent photos of string and shoelaces for fuses. Gaffield confirmed he’d attend if he could secure supplies.
Over the next two days, Lai added twine to the list of needed materials and Page said he’d acquire ignition systems, and later bought pistol primers in Irvine while disguised with a mask, gloves, cap, and long sleeves, according to court records. Page instructed the group to use burner phones only, wrap devices in foil or Faraday bags, and rely on open-source maps like OsmAnd to avoid tracking.
Gaffield boasted about saving burners “for the big event,” prosecutors said, and Carroll joked that she needed to destroy a notebook she called her “terrorist diary.”
“Lmaooooo,” she wrote. “I have to get rid of that.”
Over the next two days, authorities said, Lai picked up a bag that listed 5 pounds of potassium nitrate, bought PVC pipe in multiple sizes, and cut them inside her home to build the explosives.
On Dec. 12, Carroll, Page, Gaffield, and Lai drove in two vehicles to Lucerne Valley with the bomb-making materials, according to court records. En route, Carroll walked Lai through the New Year’s Eve plan, stressing the desert test was a rehearsal and bluntly stating, “What we’re doing will be considered a terrorist act.”
At the campsite, they set up a work table, pitched a tent for shade, and began assembling devices, according to court records. Lai prepared the interior of a five-inch PVC pipe and built a fuse, while Carroll, Page, and Lai discussed grinding powders and braiding fuse material — turning weeks of planning into a hands-on test run for the planned attack.
Authorities closed in on the group later that day.
If convicted, Carroll and Page would face a maximum sentence of life in prison, and Gaffield and Lai would face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
