Prosecutors say the suspect also threatened to burn down OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters after the early morning attack.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A 20-year-old Texas man has been charged after authorities said he threw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home, then went to the company’s headquarters and threatened more violence hours later.
Authorities say the case now spans both state and federal court and is being reviewed as possible domestic terrorism. Prosecutors allege Daniel Moreno-Gama traveled from Spring, Texas, to carry out a planned attack tied to his opposition to artificial intelligence. No one was injured, but investigators say the incident raised alarms about threats against tech leaders as debate over AI grows sharper and more personal.
According to prosecutors, the first attack happened about 4 a.m. Friday, April 10, at Altman’s home in San Francisco. Investigators say Moreno-Gama threw an incendiary device at the property, igniting part of an exterior gate before the flames were put out. Security footage and witness accounts helped officers track the suspect, authorities said. Less than an hour later, police say, Moreno-Gama appeared at OpenAI’s headquarters in Mission Bay. There, prosecutors allege, he carried a jug of kerosene, tried to get inside and made threats to burn down the building. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Monday that the suspect is accused of trying to kill Altman and a security guard at the home. Police arrested him outside the company offices later that morning.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint Monday charging Moreno-Gama with attempted use of an explosive to damage property and possession of an unregistered firearm. Authorities said officers recovered multiple incendiary devices, kerosene, a lighter and a weapon after his arrest. Investigators also said he was carrying a written anti-AI document that threatened Altman and other people connected to the industry. In state court, Moreno-Gama faces attempted murder and attempted arson charges. Prosecutors said the state counts carry far heavier penalties, with the attempted murder case exposing him to a sentence of 19 years to life if convicted. A lawyer for Moreno-Gama was not immediately identified in public reporting Monday, and authorities had not released any court statement from the defense explaining his response to the allegations.
The criminal allegations quickly drew attention because of both the target and the claimed motive. Altman is one of the most visible figures in the artificial intelligence business, and OpenAI has become a central company in the race to build advanced AI systems. Investigators say Moreno-Gama wrote that AI posed a threat to humanity and used that belief to justify violence. Reporting on the case said the document found on him included names of executives and investors in the field and language suggesting a broader campaign against AI leaders. The attack also came during a period of unusually intense public argument over AI safety, military uses of the technology and the power held by a small group of companies and executives. That wider backdrop does not explain the violence, but it helps explain why the case drew a response far beyond San Francisco.
What comes next will unfold in two court systems. The federal case centers on explosives and weapons allegations, including the charge tied to the Molotov cocktail and the charge involving an unregistered firearm. Federal prosecutors said the explosives count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, while the firearm count carries up to 10 years. The state case focuses on the alleged attempt to kill Altman and a security guard and on the alleged arson conduct. Investigators are also examining whether the case meets the standard for domestic terrorism, a step that could shape how the motive is described and how the investigation is handled. Moreno-Gama was expected to be arraigned Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court, while the federal case was also moving ahead after the complaint was unsealed Monday.
Altman responded publicly after the attack in a personal blog post that included a photo of his family and a plea to lower the temperature around debate over artificial intelligence. He wrote that no one was hurt and said public arguments about AI should not turn into literal violence. Other groups that campaign for tougher limits on AI also condemned the attack and said opposition to the technology must remain peaceful. For investigators, though, the most immediate focus remained the evidence collected after the arrest, the surveillance footage, the suspect’s alleged statements and the writings they say show planning before he arrived in California. By Monday night, the case had become both a criminal prosecution and a warning sign about how heated rhetoric around AI can spill into the real world.
The suspect remained in custody Monday, and the next major step was his expected Tuesday arraignment in San Francisco as federal and local prosecutors continued to sort through evidence from the April 10 attack and the threats that followed.
Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.