Federal prosecutors say four Los Angeles-area suspects planned to bomb several business locations in Southern California on New Year’s Eve, and three of them have pleaded not guilty in federal court.
Audrey Carroll, 30, and Zachary Page, 32, entered their pleas in federal court on Monday, according to court proceedings described by the Associated Press. Tina Lai, 41, entered her plea in court a few days earlier. The AP report said the suspects’ attorneys did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
The fourth suspect, Dante Anthony-Gaffield, 24, is scheduled to enter his plea on Jan. 20, the report said. Officials said the suspects were arrested Dec. 12 in the Mojave Desert east of Los Angeles while rehearsing their plot, before prosecutors said they assembled a functional explosive device.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Carroll created a detailed plan to bomb five or more business locations owned by two companies across Southern California on New Year’s Eve. Essayli did not identify the alleged targets, but he described the businesses as “Amazon-type” logistical centers.
A grand jury indicted the four suspects on multiple counts of providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and possession of unregistered firearms, according to the AP report. The report said Carroll and Page were also indicted on one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Officials told investigators that the suspects were members of an offshoot of an anti-capitalist and anti-government group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front, the AP reported. The criminal complaint described the group as calling for decolonization, tribal sovereignty and “the working class to rise up and fight back against capitalism.”
The indictment also described internal communications within the group. The AP report said one defendant characterized what it described as a “radical” faction that communicated using a chat called “Order of the Black Lotus.”
The criminal complaint further said two group members had discussed plans for future attacks targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles with pipe bombs. The AP report said photos included in court documents showed the desert campsite where investigators said bomb-making materials were strewn across plastic folding tables.
Trial is set for Carroll, Page and Lai, with the AP report saying the proceedings are scheduled to begin Feb. 17. It said Anthony-Gaffield’s trial will be scheduled once he enters his plea.
The AP report said that, if convicted, Carroll and Page could face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. It said Anthony-Gaffield and Lai could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison.