Radical Left Terror Plot EXPOSED: FBI Busts Anti-Government Cell in LA

Paul Riverbank, 12/24/2025FBI foils detailed Los Angeles terror plot linked to radical left group; four suspects arrested.

The group’s alleged ringleader, Audrey Illeene Carroll, didn’t mince words in encrypted conversations, apparently. Investigators say Carroll, who reportedly called herself a “Hamas fangirl,” abandoned any veneer of protest, choosing blunt threats and violence over marches or hashtags. According to the FBI, she and three others—Zachary Aaron Page, Dante James Anthony-Gaffield, and Tina Lai—hatched what they ominously dubbed “Operation Midnight Sun.” Their targets: tech firms and logistics warehouses spread across Los Angeles County.

Court documents describe the defendants as tied to a “radical” splinter of the Turtle Island Liberation Front—an outfit few had heard of before this week, but which authorities say brews anti-government, anti-corporate resentment. This wasn’t just tough talk online, according to federal agents. The group procured supplies, tinkered with home-built explosives, and meticulously mapped out their attack strategy through encrypted apps and handwritten diagrams. Officials found the plans chillingly detailed—the kind of specificity that keeps investigators on edge.

If the indictment is to be believed, the plot’s sophistication went beyond pipe bombs. After the initial planned bombings, members discussed targeting federal immigration officers—hoping not just to vandalize, but to directly threaten and even injure law enforcement. Allegedly, Carroll even fantasized about ambushing agents and torching vehicles, ratcheting the threat to a level that left federal agents with little choice but to intervene.

Their operational security, though creative at times—wrapping phones in tinfoil, for instance—proved no match for undercover agents and informants who managed to both penetrate their chat rooms and physically surveil their activities. While some details of the investigation remain sealed, authorities say the group’s downfall was, in part, an eagerness to share notes and plans that ultimately fell straight into the hands of federal investigators.

This case isn’t happening in a vacuum. Only days ago, an East African man was sentenced for a separate, high-profile plot—planning to hijack a commercial jet and crash it into Atlanta, echoing the horrors of 9/11. That case—like this one—highlights the persistent, morphing threat landscape, where both foreign and homegrown extremists share one unsettling trait: a willingness to take lives to send a message.

For now, all four of the Southern California suspects are being held without bond. Federal prosecutors intend to move quickly, and early hearings are set for the coming days. The story serves as another sharp reminder: while politics and ideology dominate headlines, the lurking threat of violence beneath the surface demands constant, even uncomfortable, vigilance.

If events like these teach us one thing, it’s this: ideology may shape the message, but determined law enforcement, aided by early detection and sometimes a bit of luck, remains the community’s first and often only line of defense. Yet, as always, the balance between security and liberty—how far investigative tools should reach, when officials should act—promises to stir debate long after the courtroom lights go out.

It’s a story that feels uncomfortably close, the sort that rattles community nerves but rarely grabs deep-dive coverage. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles allege a small, tight-knit group plotted not just to make headlines, but to inflict genuine chaos across the region—a plot so serious, authorities wasted little time moving in.The group’s alleged ringleader, Audrey Illeene Carroll, didn’t mince words in encrypted conversations, apparently. Investigators say Carroll, who reportedly called herself a “Hamas fangirl,” abandoned any veneer of protest, choosing blunt threats and violence over marches or hashtags. According to the FBI, she and three others—Zachary Aaron Page, Dante James Anthony-Gaffield, and Tina Lai—hatched what they ominously dubbed “Operation Midnight Sun.” Their targets: tech firms and logistics warehouses spread across Los Angeles County.Court documents describe the defendants as tied to a “radical” splinter of the Turtle Island Liberation Front—an outfit few had heard of before this week, but which authorities say brews anti-government, anti-corporate resentment. This wasn’t just tough talk online, according to federal agents. The group procured supplies, tinkered with home-built explosives, and meticulously mapped out their attack strategy through encrypted apps and handwritten diagrams. Officials found the plans chillingly detailed—the kind of specificity that keeps investigators on edge.If the indictment is to be believed, the plot’s sophistication went beyond pipe bombs. After the initial planned bombings, members discussed targeting federal immigration officers—hoping not just to vandalize, but to directly threaten and even injure law enforcement. Allegedly, Carroll even fantasized about ambushing agents and torching vehicles, ratcheting the threat to a level that left federal agents with little choice but to intervene.Their operational security, though creative at times—wrapping phones in tinfoil, for instance—proved no match for undercover agents and informants who managed to both penetrate their chat rooms and physically surveil their activities. While some details of the investigation remain sealed, authorities say the group’s downfall was, in part, an eagerness to share notes and plans that ultimately fell straight into the hands of federal investigators.This case isn’t happening in a vacuum. Only days ago, an East African man was sentenced for a separate, high-profile plot—planning to hijack a commercial jet and crash it into Atlanta, echoing the horrors of 9/11. That case—like this one—highlights the persistent, morphing threat landscape, where both foreign and homegrown extremists share one unsettling trait: a willingness to take lives to send a message.For now, all four of the Southern California suspects are being held without bond. Federal prosecutors intend to move quickly, and early hearings are set for the coming days. The story serves as another sharp reminder: while politics and ideology dominate headlines, the lurking threat of violence beneath the surface demands constant, even uncomfortable, vigilance.If events like these teach us one thing, it’s this: ideology may shape the message, but determined law enforcement, aided by early detection and sometimes a bit of luck, remains the community’s first and often only line of defense. Yet, as always, the balance between security and liberty—how far investigative tools should reach, when officials should act—promises to stir debate long after the courtroom lights go out.