Federal grand jury indicts 4 far-left extremists on terrorism charges for LA New Year’s Eve bomb plot

Prosecutors announced that the defendants Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30, of South Los Angeles; Zachary Aaron Page, 32, of Torrance; Dante James Anthony-Gaffield, 24, of South Los Angeles; and Tina Lai, 41, of Glendale, are each charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and possession of unregistered firearms.

According to the indictment, Carroll, also known as “Asiginaak” and “Black Moon,” and Page, also known as “AK,” “Ash Kerrigan,” and “Cthulu’s Daughter,” face an additional charge of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, federal authorities said.

All four defendants are currently being held in federal custody without bond. Court proceedings are scheduled to begin in early January. Lai’s arraignment is set for January 2, 2026, while Carroll and Page are scheduled to appear on January 5, 2026. Anthony-Gaffield is set to be arraigned on January 20, 2026. All arraignments are expected to take place in the US District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to prosecutors, the defendants were members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), which authorities describe as an anti-capitalist and anti-government group. The indictment alleges the four were part of a “radical” faction that communicated through an encrypted messaging group called “Order of the Black Lotus.”

Federal authorities say the alleged plot began to take shape in November 2025, when Carroll wrote an eight-page handwritten document titled “Operation Midnight Sun.” The document allegedly outlined a plan to attack multiple businesses across Southern California using explosive devices on New Year’s Eve.

Prosecutors say the document included a list of intended targets, described as “marks,” as well as instructions for manufacturing bombs, acquiring materials, and avoiding forensic evidence that could link participants to the attacks. The plan, according to the indictment, aimed to “completely pulverize” targeted locations, including technology and logistics companies with offices in the region.

Investigators allege Carroll later recruited others, including Page, Anthony-Gaffield, and Lai, to participate. The indictment also references specific messages exchanged among alleged co-conspirators. On November 29, 2025, Page allegedly sent a message in an encrypted chat stating: “death to israel death to the usa death to colonizers death to settler-coloniasm [sic].” Prosecutors say Carroll responded: “Death to them all, burn it all down,” followed by three burning-heart emojis.

Authorities say that in early December, the defendants began acquiring materials for explosive devices, including potassium nitrate, sulfur, charcoal, and pipes, and planned to test explosives in the Mojave Desert on December 12, 2025. Prosecutors also allege that Carroll and Page discussed plans beyond the New Year’s Eve attacks, including targeting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles with firearms and pipe bombs.

On December 12, 2025, the defendants allegedly traveled to the Mojave Desert to assemble and test explosive devices. The FBI arrested them at the scene, officials said, before they were able to produce functional explosives. “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,” said Bill Essayli, the First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, in a statement. “If convicted, this group of self-professed left-wing radicals will face decades in federal prison.”

If convicted, Carroll and Page face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison, while Anthony-Gaffield and Lai face up to 25 years, according to federal authorities.