Molotov

April 14 (UPI) — Federal authorities have charged the 20-year-old Texas man who police arrested after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The criminal complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California charges Daniel Moreno-Gama of Spring, Texas, with possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted damage to and destruction of property by means of explosives.

If convicted, Moreno-Gama faces between five and 20 years’ imprisonment for the first count and a maximum of 10 years for the second.

The incident occurred early Friday, when, shortly after 4 a.m., officers of the San Francisco Police Department were dispatched to Altman’s North Beach residence, where a suspect threw an “incendiary destructive device” at the home, causing a fire to an exterior gate before fleeing on foot.

Police arrested the suspect less than an hour later after he allegedly threatened to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters, located nearby in the 1400 block of 3rd Street.

The complaint states the Molotov cocktail was thrown at the residence at 3:37 a.m. Friday, with the incident caught on surveillance cameras.

Stills from the footage included in the complaint show a male holding what appears to be a lit Molotov cocktail in his hand and then, from about 10 feet away, winding up and throwing the flaming item at the barred gate before leaving the scene.

At about 5 a.m. the suspect is seen outside OpenAI’s headquarters using a chair to strike the glass doors, according to the complaint. The filing does not name the company or Altman, though it includes stills from surveillance footage of the suspect, dressed in black, smashing glass doors with a blue outdoor chair.

Security personnel at the facility are cited in the complaint stating Moreno-Gama was at the building “to burn it down and kill anyone inside.”

Police who responded to the scene and arrested Moreno-Gama recovered incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene and a blue lighter, the complaint states.

Officers also confiscated a document that was in the suspect’s possession. The complaint alleges it is a three-part series authored by Moreno-Gama, expressing his opposition to artificial intelligence as well as to the executives of various AI companies, including Altman, who is referenced in the document as “Victim-1.”

“Also if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message,” reads the first section of the document, which federal authorities allege was written by Moreno-Gama.

The document “further listed the names and addresses of apparent board members and chief executive officers of AI companies and investors,” the complaint states, adding that the second part of the document was titled “Some More Words on the Matter of our impending extinction.

The third section was a letter addressed to “Victim-1.”

“If by some miracle you live, then I would take this as a sign from the divine to redeem yourself…” it states, according to the complaint.

U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian for the Northern District of California said in a statement Monday that his office is only at the start of its investigation, but he will treat the case as “an act of domestic terrorism” if the evidence shows the suspect attempted to change public policy through his actions.

“We will not tolerate any attempt to change the way Americans live and work through fear of violence,” Missakian said.

Altman and his OpenAI company are at the center of public debate over artificial intelligence, and both have become lightning rods for controversy about the future of the technology.

OpenAI and other AI companies have faced criticism and protests from activist organizations that argue the rapid development of AI is reckless and could pose severe risks, including by contributing to human extinction.

Altman identified himself as the victim in a blog post published Friday night. In the post, he called for a de-escalation in the rhetoric surrounding AI.

“A lot of the criticism of our industry comes from sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology. This is quite valid, and we welcome good-faith criticism and debate,” he said.

“I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone. But overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine.”

April 11 (UPI) — Police arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco.

Around 4:00 a.m. local time, the man reportedly threw the incendiary device at Altman’s house, causing a fire to a gate outside the home.

The man was arrested less than an hour later when he was allegedly attempting to burn down OpenAI’s offices, police said in a statement.

In a lengthy blog post on Friday night, Altman said that he was “underestimated the power of words and narratives,” after an actual incendiary device was hurled at his house following the publication of an article about him that he also called “incendiary.”

“We should de-escalate the rehtoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally,” he wrote, having noted that “thankfully [the Molotov cocktail] bounced off the house and no one got hurt.”

Similarly, OpenAI said in a statement that nobody was hurt at the company’s offices and said they are assisting law enforcement with their investigation, CNN reported.

Altman, whose home is located in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, about three miles from the OpenAI offices, is one of several tech industry CEOs who are behind the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry, The New York Times reported.

In his blog post, Altman said that he understands the debate around AI and how it is being used, and could be used in the future, and that he believes debates around its use are essential but should stop short of violence.

“I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone,” Altman wrote. “We should have that debate.”

Police said the suspect targeted Altman’s San Francisco residence before dawn and fled the scene on foot.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested by San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman early on Friday morning.

Police in the United States said the suspect targeted the property at about 4am local time (11:00 GMT), allegedly throwing an improvised incendiary device that ignited part of an exterior gate before fleeing the scene on foot.

Authorities did not publicly identify the suspect or confirm the address where the attack took place.

Instead, in a post on the social media platform X, the police department said that a residence in the North Beach neighbourhood was affected.

However, a spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed the incident took place at Altman’s residence.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt. We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.

Police have not indicated a possible motive behind the attack. The suspect was ultimately located about an hour later near OpenAI’s headquarters, roughly 4.8 kilometres (three miles) away, where he was allegedly threatening to set the building on fire.

OpenAI said it is cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation continues.

Security concerns around OpenAI

The incident comes amid heightened security concerns around OpenAI’s offices, which have faced threats and protests in recent months.

Just last November, a man making violent threats to its San Francisco headquarters briefly prompted an office lockdown.

Altman and the company have increasingly become targets for activists who warn about the risks artificial intelligence could pose to society.

Critics have also raised alarm over OpenAI’s decision to collaborate with the US Department of Defense, a move that has intensified scrutiny of the company’s role in military technology.

Public sentiment towards AI remains mixed. A recent NBC News poll found that the technology is viewed even less favourably than US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency responsible for violent immigration raids under President Donald Trump.

Despite the criticism, OpenAI’s growth has accelerated rapidly. The company said last month it was valued at $852bn, following a major funding round that raised $122bn.

Companies like OpenAI, however, face lingering questions about whether they can generate sufficient revenue to cover their high expenses.

One of OpenAI’s signature products, ChatGPT, continues to dominate the consumer AI market, with more than 900 million weekly active users and about 50 million subscribers.

The company also said usage of its search features has tripled over the past year.