FBI arrest four near Lucerne Valley in thwarted terrorist bomb plot planned for Los Angeles
A terrorist bombing plot planned for Los Angeles was thwarted in the hi-desert by the FBI.
On Friday (December 12,) four members of the extremist group known as the “Turtle Island Liberation Project” were arrested with alleged explosive devices and material and for investigation into conspiracy in Lucerne Valley. The investigation, code-named “Operation Verdant Force, was undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Audrey Carrol, Zachary Page, Dante Gaffield, and Tina Lai were arrested at an undisclosed location near Lucerne Valley. They are accused of bringing materials to construct explosive devices from Los Angeles to the open desert, then assembling the devices. The FBI says that they had targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the Los Angeles area, with plans to detonate the explosives on New Years Eve.
The criminal complaint filed against the suspects says, “While in the desert, the co-conspirators took steps to begin construction of the devices, including unloading the bomb-making materials (e.g., precursors, PVC pipes, and fuses) from their cars and beginning to assemble the materials on a table; constructing a tent to keep the bomb materials shaded from the sun; wiping down the interior of one of the PVC pipes; and CARROLL began discussing grinding a precursor for use in an explosive powder. FBI agents intervened and arrested CARROLL, PAGE, GAFFIELD, and LAI before they completed assembling a functional explosive device.”
The complaint alleges that the group had detailed plans to place pipe bombs in backpacks targetting ICE facilities and agents on December 31, 2025.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus issued a statement saying, “The successful prevention of this planned attack underscores the critical importance of sustained coordination between federal, state, local, and tribal law-enforcement partners.”
