Texas man accused of throwing molotov cocktail at Sam Altman home charged | San Francisco
A Texas man has been accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and attempting to set fire to the AI firm’s headquarters.
Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, was captured on surveillance video throwing an incendiary device outside Altman’s San Francisco home, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in federal court on Monday.
When the San Francisco police department arrested him, they said Moreno-Gama was carrying an “anti-AI” document he had written.
According to the FBI, the document written by Moreno-Gama and cited as evidence of motive contained threats against Altman.
“We are still early in this investigation, but if the evidence shows that Mr. Moreno-Gama carried out these attacks to change public policy or coerce the government and other authorities, we will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism and, along with our law enforcement partners, will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law,” U.S. attorney Craig Missakian said in a statement.
OpenAI faces growing scrutiny over its role in national security, including criticism of a proposed deal with the US government to allow its artificial intelligence technology to be used in covert military operations.
Moreno-Gama is accused of attempting to damage and destroy property using explosives and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Police said the attacker traveled from Texas to California before carrying out the attacks and found several incendiary devices, kerosene and a lighter at the time of his arrest.
According to court records, Moreno-Gama told security personnel at the company’s headquarters that he planned to burn down the building and harm the people inside.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the explosives charge and up to 10 years in prison for the unlicensed firearms charge, court records showed.
