Pro-Palestinian group behind LA Synagogue protest linked to alleged New Year’s Eve Bomb Plot

The far-left, pro-Palestinian group allegedly behind a foiled New Year’s Eve bombing plot in Southern California was actively posting online calls to protest a Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles just days before the FBI moved in, according to federal court records and social media posts.

The alleged extremist group, identified by prosecutors as the Turtle Island Liberation Front, used social media on Dec. 2 to promote a protest at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown — urging supporters to mask up, “wear BLOC,” and confront what it called “genocidal monsters.”

One post accused Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems of planning to “install their AI into the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles,” declaring, “WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS,” and calling on activists to join a protest the following day.

The post was signed by the Turtle Island Liberation Front — the same group federal prosecutors later linked to an alleged coordinated bombing conspiracy.

On Dec. 3, pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a private event at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, with videos showing masked demonstrators shouting outside the historic synagogue and at least one video appearing to show protesters inside the building filming and yelling.

Temple officials described the incident as targeted hate.

“Today we saw a disturbing outbreak of hate outside Wilshire Boulevard Temple that resulted in arrests for battery and the destruction of property,” Senior Rabbi Joel Nickerson said at the time, adding that the protesters “targeted the Jewish community.”

Mayor Karen Bass said she received reports that protesters damaged property inside the temple and used antisemitic slurs. “This behavior is abhorrent and has no place in Los Angeles,” Bass said, announcing increased police patrols near houses of worship.

Less than 10 days later, federal agents arrested four alleged members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front — Audrey Illeene Carroll, Zachary Aaron Page, Dante Gaffield, and Tina Lai — in the Mojave Desert, charging them with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device.

According to federal affidavits, Carroll is a member of TILF, an extremist group that promotes anti-capitalist and anti-government ideology and has used social media to advocate violence against U.S. officials. The term “Turtle Island” is used by some Native Americans to describe North America.

In late November 2025, Carroll allegedly shared an eight-page handwritten document titled “Operation Midnight Sun” outlining a plan to detonate backpack-style improvised explosive devices at five or more locations tied to two U.S. companies across the Los Angeles region at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

The plan described “complex pipe bombs,” included bomb-making instructions, and detailed steps to avoid leaving traceable evidence. Carroll allegedly acknowledged the plot would be considered a terrorist act.

Prosecutors say Carroll and Page recruited additional co-conspirators, including Gaffield and Lai, and took concrete steps toward carrying out the attack — acquiring bomb-making materials and traveling to a remote area of the Mojave Desert on Dec. 12 to assemble and test explosives.

FBI agents intervened before a functional device was completed.

According to the Department of Justice, the two defendants who have already had detention hearings — Page and Gaffield — were ordered held without bond.

Federal affidavits allege the group used encrypted messaging apps, burner phones, disguises, and desert test runs to prepare explosive devices — while simultaneously promoting protest activity in Los Angeles.

If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 10 years for possession of an unregistered destructive device. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge.