Prosecutors say the suspect traveled to San Francisco, threw a Molotov cocktail at a residence and later threatened OpenAI’s headquarters.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A 20-year-old Texas man was charged with attempted murder after prosecutors said he threw a Molotov cocktail at a home owned by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman before heading to the company’s San Francisco headquarters and threatening more violence.
Authorities said Daniel Moreno-Gama traveled from Texas to California and carried out a planned attack early April 10. State prosecutors charged him with two counts of attempted murder, attempted arson and other felonies. Federal prosecutors separately accused him of attempting to damage property with explosives and possessing an unregistered destructive device. No one was injured, but officials described the case as targeted and severe.
According to investigators, the attack began in the early morning hours at two neighboring residences in San Francisco owned by Altman. Federal court records say Moreno-Gama arrived there at about 3:37 a.m. and threw a lit Molotov cocktail-style device. Prosecutors said the device struck the top of a driveway gate and started a small fire. Surveillance video captured the moments before and after the throw, according to the criminal complaint. Moreno-Gama then fled on foot. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the state case alleges he intended to kill Altman and a security guard at the property. “This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted and extremely serious,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo said at a Monday news conference.
Investigators said the incident did not end at the residence. About an hour later, Moreno-Gama allegedly arrived at OpenAI’s headquarters on Third Street. Federal authorities said he took a chair and struck the building’s glass doors. Security workers told investigators he said he had come to burn down the site and kill anyone inside. Police officers responding to the scene detained and arrested him there, authorities said. Officers reported recovering incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, a blue lighter and a document from his possession. Federal records say the document laid out anti-AI views, named Altman and listed other AI company executives and investors. State prosecutors also said Moreno-Gama traveled with a knife, a gun, ammunition and a list of targets.
The case quickly moved beyond a single property crime because investigators said the writings found on the suspect described a wider grievance against artificial intelligence and the people leading AI companies. The federal complaint says one part of the document was titled “Your Last Warning,” another discussed what it called humanity’s “impending extinction,” and a third was addressed to Altman. Authorities said the material appeared to have been sent in similar form to people at Moreno-Gama’s former college in Texas on the day of the attack. Advocacy groups that have publicly warned about AI’s risks condemned the violence. PauseAI said the suspect was not part of the group, though it said he had posted in one of its online forums in the past. Discord said it banned him for off-platform behavior.
The legal case is now moving on two tracks. In San Francisco Superior Court, Moreno-Gama was charged with two counts of attempted murder and several related felony counts tied to the Russian Hill residence and the business on the 1400 block of Third Street. The district attorney’s office said it planned to seek his detention without bail because of the public safety risk prosecutors say he poses. In federal court, the complaint filed April 13 accuses him of attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm, which in this case refers to an alleged destructive device. Court records reviewed Monday did not list an attorney for him in either case.
Altman responded publicly hours after the attack. In a blog post, he wrote that his family usually stays private but said he hoped sharing a photo might discourage future violence. He also wrote that fear and anxiety about AI are real, while urging a lower temperature in the public debate. The attack landed at a tense moment for the industry, as companies continue to face criticism over how quickly AI systems are spreading into daily life. Even so, officials at the news conference drew a sharp line between criticism of technology and violent acts aimed at executives or workers. Jenkins said the conduct alleged in the case was not protected protest, but a criminal attack that put lives at risk.
Moreno-Gama was expected to make his next court appearance in San Francisco as prosecutors pursued both the local and federal cases. For now, authorities say the suspect is in custody, the investigation remains active and more details could emerge as the two cases proceed.
Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.