Man charged with throwing Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home
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.”
