Four people were arrested in California accused of planning bomb attacks on New Year's Eve in a joint operation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI, federal authorities reported this Monday. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the operation "thwarted a massive terrorist plot" that was to take place in the Central District of California, mainly in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Bondi described the detainees as members of the "Frente de Liberación de la Isla Tortuga (FLIT)", which she characterized as "an extreme left, pro-Palestinian, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group". According to the investigation, the group planned to carry out a series of attacks with improvised explosive devices starting on New Year's Eve. Authorities said that among the planned targets were multiple points in Southern California, as well as agents and vehicles of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that over the weekend, a credible and imminent terrorist threat was dismantled. He specified that the suspects planned coordinated attacks in at least five different locations in Los Angeles, with explosions set for midnight on December 31st. Additionally, Patel added that federal agents in New Orleans arrested a fifth individual allegedly linked to the group, accused of planning a separate violent attack. Authorities confirmed that the four detainees in California are from the Los Angeles area and face multiple charges, including conspiracy and possession of unregistered destructive devices. The FBI's Assistant Director in Los Angeles, Akil Davis, indicated that the arrests took place last Friday near Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert, when the suspects were "planning and rehearsing the attacks". According to the investigations, the explosives were to be placed in backpacks and detonated simultaneously to target American companies.
