Arrests Thwarted Planned Bomb Attacks in Orange County and Los Angeles
Four individuals were arrested in connection with a purported plot by an anti-government extremist left-wing group to carry out bomb attacks in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve, according to authorities on Monday.
The suspects were part of a radical faction of the group known as the Tortuga Island Liberation Front (TILF), according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
TILF Described as Extremist Group with Pro-Palestinian, Anti-Police, and Anti-Government Ideology
Patel described TILF as “an extremist group with pro-Palestinian, anti-police, and anti-government ideology.”
Planned Coordinated Attacks with Improvised Explosive Devices in Five Distinct Locations Across Los Angeles
The FBI Director stated that the group was allegedly planning coordinated attacks with improvised explosive devices on New Year’s Eve in five different locations across Los Angeles.
Additional Arrest in New Orleans for Alleged Independent Violent Attack
Agents from the New Orleans office also arrested a fifth individual related to TILF, who was purportedly planning an independent violent attack, Patel added.
Statement by US Attorney General on Thwarted Terrorist Plot
US Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that the arrests “prevented what would have been a horrific terrorist conspiracy” in Orange County and Los Angeles, California.
The group also planned attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles, according to Bondi.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is involved in this alleged terrorist plot? Four individuals were arrested in Los Angeles, and a fifth was apprehended in New Orleans. They are part of the Tortuga Island Liberation Front (TILF), described as an extremist group with pro-Palestinian, anti-police, and anti-government ideology.
- What were the planned attacks? The group allegedly planned coordinated bomb attacks using improvised explosive devices in five distinct locations across Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. Additionally, there was a planned independent violent attack by one of the suspects in New Orleans.
- What agencies were targeted by the group? The group intended to attack Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles, as stated by US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
- What did the authorities do to prevent these attacks? The FBI, along with other law enforcement agencies, made the arrests, thereby thwarting the alleged terrorist plot in Orange County and Los Angeles.
