Federal and local prosecutors Monday charged a Texas man with attempted murder after he allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home and then attempted to burn down the company’s headquarters.
Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, faces two state counts of attempted murder—one for Altman and one for a security guard present at the residence—along with charges of attempted arson and possession of a destructive device, the San Francisco District Attorney’s office said. He was also charged federally with damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm, the Department of Justice said. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
The attack unfolded around 3:40 a.m. on April 10, when Moreno-Gama allegedly threw a bottle containing a flaming rag at the metal gate of Altman’s home. Security guards at the property extinguished the fire, and the incident was captured on surveillance cameras, according to court documents. Officers also arrested Moreno-Gama less than an hour later outside OpenAI’s Mission Bay headquarters, where he was allegedly threatening to burn the building down. He was seen trying to hit its glass facade with a chair and had kerosene in his backpack, according to the allegations.
When Moreno-Gama was arrested on April 10, officials found a document on him in which he “identified views opposed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the executives of various AI companies.” Moreno-Gama wrote of AI’s purported risk to humanity and “our impending extinction,” according to the criminal complaint. He also allegedly carried a list of names and addresses of board members, CEOs, and investors at major AI companies.
The home of Daniel Moreno-Gama after the FBI raided his home in Spring, Texas, on April 13, 2026. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)
According to the affidavit, “MORENO-GAMA stated he ‘killed/attempted to kill’ Victim-1.” He also allegedly said, “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.”
The FBI raided a home connected to Moreno-Gama in Spring, Texas, on April 13.
An attorney for Moreno-Gama did not immediately return a request for comment.
U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian issued a pointed warning at an April 13 press conference.
“We are at the beginning of this investigation, but if the evidence shows that Mr. Moreno-Gama executed these attacks to change public policy or to coerce government or other officials, we will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism, and together with our partners, prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law,” the prosecutor said.
Hours after the attack, Altman posted a family photograph online. “
Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case, I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,“ Altman wrote. ”Now I am awake in the middle of the night and pissed, and thinking that I have underestimated the power of words and narratives.”
Altman’s residence was targeted a second time on Sunday, April 12, when the San Francisco Police Department arrested two people—Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23—who allegedly fired shots from Tom’s car early that morning.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the Molotov cocktail and shooting incidents are related, San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew told reporters.
