FBI Foils “Horrific” New Year’s Eve Terror Plot in LA and New Orleans

Federal authorities have thwarted a major domestic terror plot targeting New Year’s Eve celebrations in Los Angeles and New Orleans, arresting five members of a radical extremist group. The announcement, made Monday by the Department of Justice, details a coordinated conspiracy to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at multiple high-profile locations as 2025 draws to a close.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests during a press briefing in Washington, D.C., describing the plot as “advanced and imminent.” The suspects are allegedly affiliated with a radical offshoot of the “Turtle Island Liberation Front” (TILF), a group motivated by a violent blend of pro-Palestinian, anti-government, and anti-imperialist ideologies. “This was an incredible effort by our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI to ensure Americans can live in peace,” Bondi stated. “We prevented what would have been a massive and horrific terror plot.”
According to the FBI, four of the suspects were taken into custody over the weekend in Lucerne Valley, a remote desert area northeast of Los Angeles. Agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) descended on a makeshift compound where the group was reportedly preparing to test-fire shrapnel-laden explosives. Investigators recovered multiple pipe bombs, tactical gear, and detailed maps of Los Angeles marking five specific targets, including crowded venues in Hollywood and Santa Monica.
Simultaneously, FBI agents in New Orleans arrested a fifth individual linked to the same cell. This suspect, apprehended at a residence in the Algiers neighborhood, is accused of planning a parallel attack in the French Quarter. The arrest brings a chilling sense of déjà vu to a city still recovering from the tragic vehicle-ramming attack that claimed 14 lives on New Year’s Day earlier this year. Authorities emphasized that while the New Orleans suspect was communicating with the Los Angeles cell, the plots were designed to occur simultaneously to maximize chaos and strain law enforcement resources.
The suspects, whose names have not yet been released pending arraignment, face federal charges including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and providing material support to terrorists. Social media accounts linked to the group featured rhetoric condemning “American imperialism” and calling for the “liberation” of territories ranging from Palestine to Hawaii and Puerto Rico. One recovered manifesto explicitly cited the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as a primary motivation for targeting American civilians.
Security has been immediately ramped up across major U.S. cities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a bulletin warning of a “heightened threat environment” leading up to the holiday season. While officials believe the immediate threat from this specific cell has been neutralized, the FBI continues to scour digital evidence to ensure no other co-conspirators remain at large.