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Law enforcement officials stated on Monday that they had managed to foil a elaborate scheme to set off bombs at multiple locations operated by two US-based businesses on New Year's Eve in the LA region. The operation resulted from the arrest of people associated with an extremist offshoot espousing anti-system and anti-establishment views.

Individuals Taken Into Custody During Desert Practice

The four individuals were arrested last Friday in the desert region located east of Los Angeles as they were according to officials rehearsing their proposed operation. Officials presented aerial monitoring footage to reporters, that captured the individuals transporting a large black item to a surface. Authorities emphasized that the arrests occurred before the individuals could construct a operational IED.

Details of the Accused Disclosed

As per the submitted legal filing, the four suspects named are a 30-year-old named Audrey Illeene Carroll; Page, 32; Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41. The group are reportedly from the LA area.

Alleged Motivation and Group Affiliations

While authorities did not clearly detail a rationale, they indicated the suspects are adherents of a splinter group dubbed the Turtle Island Liberation Front. This entity reportedly urges "workers to rise up and combat against corporate power," according to the legal filing.

They face include conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of a destructive device. The government indicated that additional charges are likely in the weeks ahead.

Details of the Supposed "Midnight Sun Operation"

Officials revealed that one of the individuals had created a step-by-step scheme last month to bomb multiple business locations across Southern California on New Year's Eve. The targets were described as "Amazon-type" fulfillment hubs.

"The plan was detailed," the attorney said. "It laid out a precise guide to build IEDs … and named several targets across the county of Orange and Los Angeles."

As per the case and the complaint, the plot entailed positioning backpacks containing intricate pipe bombs that were scheduled to be detonated all at once at midnight on New Year's Eve at 5 sites. New Year's Eve was chosen as an ideal time as the plan noted "celebratory explosions will be going off at this time so blast noises will be less likely to be heard."

The handwritten, eight-page manually written plan, titled "OPERATION MIDNIGHT SUN," noted that additional sites could be added. The locations were identified as property and facilities owned by two distinct firms tied to activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce.

Future Plots and Materials Seized

Court documents also indicated that two people in the group had talked about future attacks aimed at ICE agents officers and cars with explosives in 2026. One accused allegedly noted that such strikes "would kill some and frighten the rest of them."

Such discussions were allegedly talked over both at an in-person meeting in Los Angeles and through an private communication application.

Images featured in the legal filings reveal a isolated site with what officials described as IED-construction materials scattered on portable tables.

The complaint notes that the group "each brought explosive materials to the site, such as various sizes of plastic pipes, identified as a chemical compound, charcoal briquettes, powdered charcoal, sulfur powder, and material to be used as fuses, among others."

The plan also had directions on how to build the devices and how to not leave behind traces that could be connected back to the individuals. The individuals had not long ago purchased components and other materials, including buys from e-commerce sites.

Operation and Follow-up

The FBI moved in last week when the individuals were rehearsing the strike in the remote area near a desert community. "They owned all the components they were necessary to make an working IED at that site," the prosecutor said.

During executed searches, authorities allegedly found flyers for the Turtle Island Liberation Front at one accused's home that demanded "America Must Fall", and "Eliminate ICE". At another suspect's home, police discovered a copy of the elaborate attack blueprint.

Those arrested were taken into custody without a struggle. They were scheduled to make a court appearance in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.