FBI Arrests Texas Man for Molotov Attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Federal authorities have arrested 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama of Spring, Texas, in connection with a Molotov cocktail attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home early last Friday. The FBI raided Moreno-Gama’s residence Monday morning, recovering multiple incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, and a lighter. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the operation and announced that federal charges, including attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm, are expected to be filed.

According to court documents, Moreno-Gama threw the Molotov cocktail around 3:37 a.m., setting an exterior gate on fire but causing no injuries. He then allegedly traveled to OpenAI’s headquarters, where he struck the glass doors with a chair and threatened to “burn it down and kill anyone inside,” according to on-site security and an FBI affidavit. San Francisco police recovered a document from Moreno-Gama in which he claimed responsibility for attempting to kill Altman and urged others to commit similar acts. The document also contained a list of AI company executives, board members, and investors.

The 23-page diatribe, which matches a paper sent by email to multiple news organizations shortly after the attack, argued that artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to humanity and advocated violence against those developing AI technologies. Moreno-Gama was arrested Friday morning by San Francisco police, who found the anti-AI document along with the incendiary materials.

OpenAI issued a statement confirming that the suspect had made threats against the company’s headquarters. In a blog post hours after the attack, Altman shared a photo of his husband and toddler, writing, “Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me.” He acknowledged that “fear and anxiety about AI is justified” but emphasized the need to “de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”

Advocacy groups concerned about AI risks condemned the violence. Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, stated, “Violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI.”

Moreno-Gama faces federal charges that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the explosives charge, and up to 10 years for possession of an unregistered destructive device, along with potential fines and supervised release. It remains unclear whether he will face additional state charges in California.