FBI Foils New Year’s Eve Bombing Plot in Los Angeles, Arrests Five Linked to Radical Pro-Palestinian Group

Federal authorities announced Monday that they disrupted a “credible, imminent terrorist threat,” arresting five individuals connected to an alleged plot to carry out coordinated bombing attacks in the Los Angeles area on New Year’s Eve.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspects were linked to a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), which authorities described as an extremist group motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology. The planned attacks allegedly involved improvised explosive devices targeting five separate locations across Los Angeles.

“Over the weekend, the FBI disrupted a credible, imminent terrorist threat and arrested four individuals connected to the Los Angeles area,” Patel wrote in a statement. He added that investigators later arrested a fifth individual believed to be connected to the same radical subgroup. Patel said the work of federal investigators and law enforcement partners “undoubtedly saved countless lives.”

According to the FBI, four of the suspects were arrested in Lucerne Valley, in the Mojave Desert, where they were believed to be preparing to test explosive devices ahead of the planned attacks. A criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California charges all four with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Authorities said a fifth individual was arrested in New Orleans in the days following the California arrests. The FBI said the suspect is believed to be linked to the same TILF extremist offshoot and was allegedly planning a separate violent attack. As of Monday’s announcement, no charges had been disclosed in connection with the fifth arrest.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice worked closely with the FBI to prevent what she described as a major terror plot in California. “The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve,” Bondi said in a statement. She added that the group also planned to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles.

The FBI said the suspects self-identified as members of a radical offshoot of TILF. An Instagram account associated with TILF has said its founding chapter is based in Los Angeles and claims its mission is to “free” what it calls “Turtle Island,” an Indigenous term used to refer to North America, from what it describes as the “illegal American empire.” Posts linked to the group have included slogans such as “Free Palestine,” “Free Hawaii,” and “Free Puerto Rico,” along with calls opposing ICE.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino praised the operation, saying the arrests reflected the agency’s core mission. “Protect the homeland and crush violent crime,” Bongino said in a statement. “These words are not slogans, they’re the investigative pillars of this FBI.”

“This was an incredible effort by our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI to ensure Americans can live in peace,” Bondi said. “We will continue to pursue these terror groups and bring them to justice.”