On April 14, according to the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s California residence suffered a Molotov cocktail attack last week. Court documents show that the suspect in the attack carried an "anti-AI" document with the names of multiple AI company CEOs.
Suspect Gama throws Molotov cocktail
According to a criminal complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California,When 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama was arrested, he was in possession of a document that contained the names and addresses of multiple suspected AI company board members, CEOs, and investors.The indictment states that the document contains a section titled "More Notes on Our Impending Extinction" that discusses the potential threat of AI to humanity.
U.S. authorities said Gama threw a ignited Molotov cocktail device at Altman's San Francisco home at about 3:37 a.m. Friday and then fled the scene. He then went to OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco, where he picked up a chair and smashed it against the building's glass door, the indictment said. Security personnel at the scene said Gama had claimed he came to the building to burn it down and kill everyone inside.
Garma attacks glass door of OpenAI headquarters building
He was later arrested on the spot by the San Francisco Police Department. Court documents show officers seized multiple incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, a blue lighter and the anti-AI document. No one was injured in either attack.
Gama was charged with using explosives with intent to destroy and damage property and possession of an unregistered firearm. "Firearms" here may refer to incendiary destructive devices.
Ultraman releases photos of his family to discourage attacks
Court documents show Gama is the apparent author of what has been described as a "three-part series." According to the indictment, in a section titled "Your Last Warning," he wrote: "If I am going to encourage others to kill and commit crimes, then I must set an example and show that I am absolutely sincere about the message I convey." Another section took the form of a letter to Altman, in which he wrote: "If you miraculously survive, then I will regard this as a revelation from God and give you a chance to redeem yourself."
The lawsuit alleges that Gama traveled from Texas to California to carry out the attack and emailed the document to his college classmates. FBI Director Kash Pate said on Monday that the bureau had launched an operation in Texas in response to the case.
The attack raised concerns about violence against AI and its developers.Altman included a photo of his family in a statement released Friday night, saying he hoped the photo "may dissuade the next person, regardless of their opinion of me, from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our home."