4 charged with plotting New Year’s Eve attacks in Southern California, prosecutors say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities on Monday announced the arrests of four alleged members of an extremist group who are suspected of planning coordinated bombing attacks on New Year’s Eve across Southern California.

The suspects were arrested last week in Lucerne Valley, a desert city east of Los Angeles, where they were suspected of preparing to test improvised explosive devices ahead of the planned bombings, according to the federal criminal complaint filed Saturday.

They are members of an offshoot of a pro-Palestinian group dubbed the Turtle Island Liberation Front, the complaint said. During a news conference Monday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli described the group as a “radical anti-government” group.

They each face charges including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device, court documents show.

The group is alleged to have been plotting to set off a series of bombings at multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve and also planned to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media.

Officials said the four suspects were arrested near the desert city of Twentynine Palms, California, home to a Marine Corps base.

Essayli said the four are all from the Los Angeles area. He said one of the suspects created a detailed plan to bomb five or more locations across Southern California on New Year’s Eve.

“It included step-by-step instructions to build IEDs…and listed multiple targets across Orange County and Los Angeles,” Essayli said.

Evidence photos included in the court documents show a desert campsite with what investigators said were bomb-making materials strewn across plastic folding tables.

The suspects “all brought bomb-making components to the campsite, including various sizes of PVC pipes, suspected potassium nitrate, charcoal, charcoal powder, sulfur powder, and material to be used as fuses, among others,” the complaint states.

Federal authorities planned a Monday morning news conference to discuss the arrests.

Christopher Weber, The Associated Press