Man charged with attempted murder over attack on home of OpenAI's Sam Altman

A Texas man is facing state and federal charges, including two counts of attempted murder, after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and attempting to set fire to the company's headquarters. Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon on the state charges. According to a federal criminal complaint, Moreno-Gama set fire to an exterior gate at Altman's home around 4:00 local time on Friday before fleeing on foot. About an hour later, authorities allege he attempted to set fire to OpenAI's headquarters, where security personnel reported he tried to use a chair to strike the building's glass doors. No one was injured in either incident. Law enforcement officers recovered incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, and a lighter from Moreno-Gama. The US Justice Department alleges the suspect was carrying documents discussing the potential risks of artificial intelligence to humanity, including a section titled: "Some more words on the matter of our impending extinction." The documents also allegedly stated "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", and contained the names and addresses of board members, CEOs, and investors at various AI companies. In addition to the state charges, Moreno-Gama is facing federal felony charges for possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted damage and destruction of property using explosives. "Violence cannot be the norm for expressing disagreement, be it with politics or a technology or any other matter," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "These alleged actions – which damaged property and could well have taken lives – will be aggressively prosecuted." OpenAI issued a statement emphasizing that "there is no place in our democracy for violence against anyone, regardless of the AI lab they work at or side of the debate they belong to". The company added that "to ensure society gets AI right, we need to work through the democratic process" and "we welcome a good faith debate". San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins also addressed the attacks at a Monday press conference, stating, "I'm grateful that Mr Altman, his family, and his employees were uninjured in these attacks and are safe." The attacks come amid heightened scrutiny and skepticism surrounding the AI industry, which has seen massive financial investment since OpenAI's 2022 release of ChatGPT. Just hours after the incident at his home, Altman referenced a recent investigative profile in The New Yorker that questioned his trustworthiness. Calling it an "incendiary article about me", Altman said "we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally." He later posted on X that he regretted linking the article to the alleged attack following social media criticism. Earlier on Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X that the agency had conducted a raid in Texas related to the incident.