FBI and DOJ foil New Year’s Eve terror plot in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (NBC, KYMA) - The FBI and the Justice Department (DOJ) say they have foiled a left-wing New Year's Eve terror plot.
At a press conference Monday morning, prosecutors said four people were arrested Friday in Southern California.
"We disrupted this terror plot before buildings were demolished or innocent people were killed," said Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles.
The suspects are accused of preparing to test improvised explosive devices in the desert ahead of the planned bombings.
Evidence photos included in court documents released during the press conference show a desert campsite, with what investigators said were bomb-making materials strewn across plastic folding tables.
Authorities also showed aerial video that appeared to show the preparation site.
Investigators said the operation was part of a larger focus from the Trump administration to go after left-wing terror groups.
"This investigation was initiated in part due to the September 2025 executive order signed by President Trump, Trump to root out left wing domestic terror organizations in our country, such as Antifa, and other radical groups like the Turtle Island Liberation Front," U.S. Attorney Essayli shared.
"I also want to recognize the following FBI field offices as this investigation crossed the entire country: The New Orleans division, the Buffalo division, Indianapolis division, and the Boston division, who, as you all know, have had their hands full this weekend. In fact, an additional was arrested by our partners at FBI New Orleans in support of this investigation."
Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge, FBI
"To our community. I know hearing about these incidents like this can be unsettling, especially in the light of the recent Brown University mass shooting and the Sydney Australia, Sydney Australia terrorist attack, but it serves as a powerful reminder that strong collaboration between federal state and local enforcement, law enforcement can prevent violence before It occurs."
Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
All four suspects face charges including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device.
